Persona 6: Destiny of Death
by World Paradox
Summary: Since the dawn of time there has been a clear balance between life and death, however recent events have caused the line between the two to become blurred and as a result the dead are not passing on and instead are wreaking havoc among the living. Now it seems that the only hope for the world is a dysfunctional teenager and his dysfunctional friends. Time to reap some souls!
1. Contract Signing

A/N: Greetings children of man, I bid thee welcome to my realm. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the being who watches over the world from within thine own self. I am thou, and at the same time I am not. If ye would like to think of me as an individual just like thee, then ye may do so. But please do understand, my powers go far beyond the reaches of ordinary man. I do not possess a name, but if ye so wish ye can simply refer to me as the Paradox of Man's World, or World Paradox if thou so wishes. My duty is to observe and study the world of man and protect it from those who wish to do it harm. And I am afraid to say that if thou art here with me in my realm now then thy world is indeed in grave danger.

However, I am afraid that the cause of this coming danger is currently unknown, even to me. All I know is that there has been a great unsettling within the balance of thy world. You may already know this but the main difference between our two worlds is that I and the beings in my world are immortal. We are unaffected by the processes of aging and death, we are as we always have been and we shall always remain this way. But thy world operates on an entirely different balance. The balance of life and death. Thousands are born into thy world each day, and thousands more die each day. It is an endless cycle of rebirth, and one of the reasons I find thy world so very fascinating.

Everything begins with life. Through life ye prove to thyselves and to the world that ye art the masters of thine own destiny. The paths taken by ye, children of man, are ever winding and ever changing. No two children take the same path in life, it is as if thine own paths are snowflakes drifting in the cold, dark night. Though many challenges await ye, children of man, ye hast proven thyselves time and time again that ye hast the potential to accomplish great things.

Then on the opposite side of the coin is death. Death is the end of life in the most simple of terms. For many individuals in thy world death is meant to be feared, as children of man ye art driven to avoid death and live for as long as humanly possible. The point of thine own life is to find thine own purpose and accomplish great things before death looms over ye and whisks ye away to an eternal slumber. However, death is also seen as eternal peace to many more. A peaceful slumber as a reward to those who have had a fulfilling life.

In my personal opinion death should not be feared, it should be embraced. And apparently children of man, if ye hast entered my realm and has conversed with me thusly, ye must believe the same. I have called out to those among thou who hath been touched by death in thine lives. Through the death of a loved one, or the experience of a tragic event, all of the current guests in my realm have witnessed death and bore the scars of its aftermath.

And now that ye knowest why ye art here, allow me to explain the predicament that thy world is currently facing. The balance between life and death in thy world has become distorted by unknown causes and as a result is doomed to certain ruin. As such, the reason I have asked ye here today will be explained thusly. I would like ye few children of man who have been touched by death to investigate and find the source of the balance's distortion. Fix the balance and thine world shall be saved. Of this I am certain. So I entrust this task to ye. Find one another in thine own world and fix the problems that plague the balance, and thy world may escape its ruin. Thou art thy world's only hope.

But fear not children of man, I shall not send ye on this quest empty-handed. There are others in my realm who also wish for the safety of mankind and thy world, if ye accept this quest I have tasked ye with, then ye shalt receive unimaginable power to repair the balance of thy world. However, whether ye accepts this task or not is entirely up to ye.

A contract between us shall seal the deal. If ye wish to undertake this quest, then simply fill out this questionnaire and sign the contract below on the dotted line. But heed this warning beforehand, many hearts pursuing one goal can only lead to tempestuous relationships and in the end utter ruin. That's why for this task only a maximum of nine gifted individuals shall be allowed. One spot has already been selected, thus eight spots are available.

 **Name: Last, First**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Arcana:**

 **School you attend: (The main school in this story is called Yousha Academy (** **容赦学園** **) it's a school for children of all ages who have been orphaned, expelled from other schools, or have been left with no other options. Other schools are fine, just know that if you choose to make your character from another school you won't be able to participate in the events that occur at Yousha.)**

 **Grade at:** **(Typically high school grades only apply, but if a middle schooler or an even younger person who has the potential would like to join the quest they may.)**

 **Persona:** **(A previously used persona in the games is fine, just make sure you design them in a different way. And if you want to make your own orginal persona that's fine as well.)**

 **(F) final Persona:** **(Same thing applies here.)**

 **Reaper Outfit: (The characters are going to be Grim Reapers so dark, foreboding costumes are recommended but it wouldn't be Persona without some zany anime flare so make them as crazy as you want.)**

 **Weapon:** **(Scythe is already taken by the MC. But anything else is fair game.)**

 **Appearance:**

 **Uniform: (How does your character wear their uniform? The uniform for Yousha Academy's boys is a blue coat jacket, a white undershirt, a red dress tie, black pants, black socks, and black dress shoes. The uniform for girls is a blue coat jacket, a white undershirt, a red collar bowtie, a black skirt, black socks, and black dress shoes. The academy's insignia is a praying angel. Again, other schools are fine, just make sure you write down what their uniform is.)**

 **Town or city you live in: Tokyo (Non-negotiable).**

 **Living situation: (Yousha Academy is a boarding school so you are free to live in the dorms, or if you want your character to live outside the school that's fine too. Just put who they live with and what their circumstances are like.)**

 **Personality:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Fears:**

 **Background:**

 **Club: (You are also free not to be in a club.)**

 **Part Time Job: (Again, this is not mandatory.)**

 **Social Link (What the MC is helping them through by spending time with them. You don't need to fill everything out for each rank, maybe just some vague outlines will do.):**

 **Shadow Self (This is the stem of their problem. It's not going to be that much like Persona 4 but I do want the character to have points where they have to overcome their inner demons. Describe their true Shadow appearance in detail so I can capture the monster in its fight.):**

 **Moment that death touched them (In other words, what was the tragic event that made them first realize death is a common occurrence in the world. Did they have a pet die when they were young? Did their parents die in front of them from some tragic accident? Or something else along those lines? Describe in detail.):**

 **Romantic interest (What type of person do they like? The story is going to be about other romances and not just the MC's, unlike the games.):**

The contract is complete and thine path has been set. Fare thee well, children of man. Until we meet again, I wish ye safe travels and blessings for the untold dangers that await ye in restoring the balance. Now return to thy world, where ye art already fast asleep. Sweet dreams, children of man.


	2. The Potential of Reapers

A/N: We meet again children of man. I must admit, I am quite surprised. I did not expect so many of ye to possess the potential. I have received several requests from brave children all throughout thy world who wish to undertake the quest and fix thine world's balance. And so it appears that even more are making themselves known to me as we speak. As ye shalt recall from our previous discussion, this task is only meant for nine gifted individuals. The first spot has already been claimed by the young man who shall become thy leader and guide into the unknown. He will be the light in each of thy dreary lives. Like so many of ye, this boy's life revolves around death. A single moment changed his life forever, and now death has become a constant reminder in his life. I believe some of ye, children of man, art familiar with the words "Memento Mori". An object to remind one of death. It's almost poetic, in each of thy lives, thou thyself is a Memento Mori. Thy lives have been touched by death and that is why ye possess the potential to see what others cannot see, to hear what others cannot hear, to do what others cannot do. Thy leader is special even more so, death is always on his mind. It haunts him, it worries him, it scares him. But still he embraces it as a part of life. His courage speaks volumes to me and as such I have made a decision concerning ye, children of man. We shall make a game of this endeavor.

Of all the volunteers that have revealed themselves to me thus far, I shall choose eight children who I think have what it takes to stand with thy leader in this quest. The rest I'm afraid to say will be barred from undertaking the quest, but worry not, ye who are not chosen are still free to enter my realm as ye so please and observe the goings on of the children who will fight in thy stead. I sincerely hope ye will continue to give them thy support. Now then as for the rules of this game. On June 2, 20XX at the stroke of midnight and the beginning of June 3, I shall reveal to ye thy champions who shalt undertake the quest. But please note, those who are accepted. Once my mind is made up, there will be no turning back from this journey. Thine lives will be forever intertwined with thine leader, the nine of ye alone must be the ones to overcome all obstacles that stand in thine way and find the source of the balance's distortion. So until then, I encourage anyone who has the potential to come forth and make thineselves known to me. Rest assured, all are welcome.

Now then, this rarely ever happens but I feel that an occasion as special as this deserves some more formality so I shall prepare another contract with some new revisions that I think thou shalt find very interesting:

 **Name: Last, First**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Arcana: (Please note that the following arcana have now been forbidden from use. Fool, Death, and Judgement. All the other major arcana are fair game. And to those of you who have already submitted some characters for Death, I know there are a few of you out there. I would like to ask if it possible to change your arcana as I would not like to miss out on any interesting characters. And here's the current arcana stance:**

 **Emperor X 3 individuals who possess this arcana have been revealed so far.**

 **Lovers X 1 individual so far.**

 **Temperance X 1 individual so far.**

 **Fortune X 2 individuals so far.**

 **Hanged Man X 3 individual so far.**

 **Tower X 2 individual so far.**

 **Chariot X 2 individuals so far.**

 **Empress X 1 individual so far.**

 **Justice X 1 individual so far.**

 **Star X 1 individual so far.**

 **Sun X 1 individual so far.**

 **Moon X 2 individuals so far.**

 **Hermit X 2 individuals so far.**

 **Priestess X 2 or possibly 3 individuals so far.**

 **Strength X 1 individual so far.**

 **Devil X 1 individual so far.**

 **Hierophant X 1 or possibly 2 individuals so far.**

 **School you attend: (The main school in this story is called Yousha Academy (** **容赦学園** **) it's a school for children of all ages who have been orphaned, expelled from other schools, or have been left with no other options. Other schools are fine, just know that if you choose to make your character from another school you won't be able to participate in the events that occur at Yousha.)**

 **Grade at: (Typically high school grades only apply, and keep in mind that in Japanese high schools,the grades are first through third year. In other words, 10** **th** **grade through 12** **th** **grade. But if a middle schooler or an even younger person who has the potential would like to join the quest they may. Remember Ken Amada.)**

 **Persona: (A previously used persona in the games is fine, just make sure you design them in a different way. And if you want to make your own original persona that's fine as well.)**

 **(F) final Persona: (Same thing applies here.)**

 **Reaper Outfit: (The characters are going to be Grim Reapers so dark, foreboding costumes are recommended but it wouldn't be Persona without some zany anime flare so make them as crazy as you want.)**

 **Weapon:** **(Scythe is already taken by the MC. But anything else is fair game.)**

 **Appearance:**

 **Uniform: (How does your character wear their uniform? The uniform for Yousha Academy's boys is a blue coat jacket, a white undershirt, a red dress tie, black pants, black socks, and black dress shoes. The uniform for girls is a blue coat jacket, a white undershirt, a red collar bowtie, a black skirt, black socks, and black dress shoes. The academy's insignia is a praying angel. Again, other schools are fine, just make sure you write down what their uniform is.)**

 **Town or city you live in: Tokyo (Non-negotiable).**

 **Living situation: (Yousha Academy is a boarding school so you are free to live in the dorms, or if you want your character to live outside the school that's fine too. Just put who they live with and what their circumstances are like.)**

 **Personality:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Fears:**

 **Background:**

 **Club: (You are also free not to be in a club.)**

 **Part Time Job: (Again, this is not mandatory.)**

 **Social Link (What the MC is helping them through by spending time with them. You don't need to fill everything out for each rank, maybe just some vague outlines will do.):**

 **Shadow Self (This is the stem of their problem. It's not going to be that much like Persona 4 but I do want the character to have points where they have to overcome their inner demons. Describe their true Shadow appearance in detail so I can capture the monster in its fight.):**

 **Moment that death touched them (In other words, what was the tragic event that made them first realize death is a common occurrence in the world. Did they have a pet die when they were young? Did their parents die in front of them from some tragic accident? Or something else along those lines? Describe in detail.):**

 **Romantic interest (What type of person do they like? The story is going to be about other romances and not just the MC's, unlike the games.):**

The current number of gifted children who have revealed themselves so far is twenty-eight. But I feel that it is only a matter of time until more are revealed. Until we meet again, children of man. Sweet dreams.


	3. Results and Opening Theme

A/N: (Hello, this is me talking in my normal tone just to make things easier to explain. You may not have noticed, but I increased the number of OCs that I will select by one. Counting the MC, the total of Reapers is now nine. I mainly did this because there was so many interesting characters that it was hard to pass up. But even so I feel regretful that so many are going to be left out of the story. Anyway, just letting you know before you go any further.)

*pleasant chuckle* I see ye have returned to my realm once again, children of man. To what do I owe the pleasure? *chuckles again* I merely jest; I know why ye hast returned here on this night. The time has come for the saviors of thy world to be revealed and ye hast come to witness the results of my judgement. However, before I announce the winners of our little game I would like to commend each and everyone of ye, children of man, for thy bravery and willingness to undertake this perilous quest. So many gifted children have revealed themselves to me in such a short time, it fills me with great excitement just thinking about how these events will play out. Unfortunately, as ye already know, only nine gifted children shall be allowed to participate. The first child has already been selected, meaning that eight teammates are required to aid him on the journey ahead. And I am pleased to say that the number of children who have made themselves known is far greater than this set number.

Who to choose? This was a very difficult decision on my part, a decision that fell to me alone. So many interesting individuals, so much potential. But in the end, a decision has been made and the die has now been cast. Now please join me in congratulating the future saviors of thy world.

 **Miyazaki, Takuya – MC made by World Paradox**

 **Kurokami, Kyou – made by HiroshitheHawk**

 **Akagawa, Masako – made by Blue-Black Flames**

 **Sixx, Jackal Sario – made by Fool Arcana Kaiju**

 **Yamasato, Ayuka – made by Arcana of the North**

 **Ebage, Ahone – made by The Gaming Geek Gina**

 **Yanasai, Ryuta – made by Constant-Daze**

 **Yuki, Haise – made by Seven Alice**

 **Handa, Akio – made by Notadeadguy**

These nine brave children shall discover the distortion within the balance of life and death in thy world. They alone are thy last hope to restore the balance. Please join me in supporting them throughout their journey. And to the nine children who have been selected, I pray that ye make haste and discover thy world's problems at once. At this current time the distortion may be unknown to ye, thy world has not even taken notice of the calamities that are befalling it yet. So far, each and every incident is being treated as a tragic accident. But rest assured, these are no accidents. Dark forces are at play; of this I am certain. And if these accidents do not cease soon than they will only become more catastrophic and tragic. Ye must find the source of the distortion that is causing all this at all costs, or else thy world as ye knowest it may cease to exist.

As I have said before, there are others like me who reside in this infinite realm of possibility. And they too wish for the continuance of thy world. The next step in thy quest lies with them; they shall give ye the power to accomplish thy quest. Thou who has proven themself worthy to be the leader amongst those whom death has touched. Thou shalt be the first to meet my allies. And then when the time comes, it will be tasked with thou to find thy teammates and together fix the balance of thy world.

Now then, to the nine saviors, I am afraid this will be the last time we shall speak together for a while. From here on out, I and the others are merely observers to thine quest. I shall be watching over ye, and anticipating how ye shalt fare in thine endeavor. Until we meet again, good luck children of man.

* * *

 **Warning:** The story thou art about to read is purely fictional, any character's relation to an actual person in thy world either living or dead is purely coincidental. Furthermore, the events that take place in the story are also fictional and any likeness to actual events in thy world is also purely coincidental. Also please note, that no actual people were killed so that their ghosts could wreak havoc and reveal their tragic tales. That is all, please enjoy the story.

Based on games developed by ATLUS

Based on writings by Kazuma Kaneko

With music inspired by Shoji Meguro

World Paradox proudly presents…

 _ **PERSONA 6: DESTINY OF DEATH**_

Opening Theme: " _Original Outcasts_ " (The Reaper Anthem)

"All my life I've often wondered why. What does it mean? What's the point of life?"

"Each and every day spent in ignorance, the question becomes do I even want to know?"

"I see day by day, people passing by. None of them so much as look me in the eye."

"I'm trapped inside my own body, inside my negativity. Inside a society that doesn't want me."

"How can I escape from my living hell? Do I even have the power to do so?"

"An outcast, I wonder, is that what they think of me? Then maybe I should just accept that lot in life if there's no way to break free."

"Ever growing darkness, it swallows me whole. Won't be long until I just blend into the crowd."

" _Is that what you want?_ I hear a voice asking me."

"My eyes open up to the possibilities, it's my life to live, so I'll live it the way I want."

"No matter what you say to me, I will not back down. I am not a mistake, or a problem, or a burden. I am an original!"

"Original! Whoa-oh-oh-oh. Original! Whoa-oh-oh."

"I see you walking down the road of pain and suffering. Hey, I'm just like you so it's cool to ask for help."

"What's got you down in the dumps? What's making you act so blue?"

"People say I'm a waste of space, I don't deserve to exist. They say I should just do the world a favor and disappear."

"And I'm starting to think that maybe they're right. And then I hear a voice whisper… _Is that what you want?_ "

"Hell no! Hell no-oh-oh-oh!"

"I will rise up above those lies, won't stop till I touch the sky. It's my life to live, not yours, so why don't you do yourself a favor and just disappear?"

"I can do anything I want. I'm not some mindless follower, so if society doesn't want me then I'll just carve out my own path."

"Here's the blade."

"I won't let myself be swayed anymore. My life is important, I'll show you!"

"I am not going down without a fight. I'm a survivor, a winner, and I won't surrender."

"I am an original!"

"Original! Whoa-oh-oh-oh! Original! Whoa-oh-oh-oh!"

"Do you hear me now?"

"Loud and clear. I am not just going to up and disappear."

"I matter and so do you. Don't let those fakers tell you otherwise."

"If you want proof, I'll show you what I can do. I'll slice away this tired cognition. It's time for the outcasts to rule!"

"Everyone's who fallen into negativity's web, I'll save you even if it means my death."

"Why focus on the darkness when there's so much light to brighten up your life?"

"I'll slice that negativity with my scythe!"

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh!"

"To all the outcasts in the world. Do not stop fighting this overwhelming darkness. Break out of society and reveal the light."

"Death to all those nay-sayers! Death to all those who doubted us! Death to those who breed negativity! Death to the murderers of society itself!"

"The time is ours to show you what we're made of. We'll make you reap the consequences of the seeds you've sown!"

"You hear us?! This is the Reaper Anthem!"

"No holding back. Show them what originals are made of."

"The originals will reap your empire of darkness and lies!"

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh! Go-go-go-go!"

"Life may be tough, but it's ours to handle."

"We won't let anyone take it from us."

"Death to those who try to do so! We will cleanse their dirty souls!"

"Don't ask who do we think we are! We know who we are!"

"We're originals!"

* * *

A/N: Till we meet again, children of man.


	4. Chapter I

A/N: It is time for our story to begin. I would like thou to join me in welcoming the Protagonist of our little game.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter I: The abnormal flight**

* * *

It had been almost six hours since the boy had departed from the LAX international airport. Over an eleven-hour flight separated him from his destination, Tokyo, Japan. He had flown on a plane before but still, this was the first time he had taken such a long flight by himself. And to make the occasion even more special, this was the first time that he would be returning to Japan in over eight years. He was born and raised in Tokyo, but when he was nine his parents were suddenly forced to move overseas to America, and him being just a child at the time had no place to argue and was forced to move with them, leaving his old life and his best friend behind him. Sometimes he wondered if his parents just wanted to get out of Japan and never return. Even after settling down in America, they wouldn't allow him to call or even write to his other family members or his friend. It was as if they wanted to sever all ties with their lineage.

Since then, he had become completely Americanized. In his early teen years, he dyed his hair blonde which he continued to do to this day. Now his hair was a mismanaged mess of black and golden-yellow. And it had been so long since he held an actual conversation in Japanese that he had to spend every waking moment for the past few months studying his former language. He knew that his Japanese would probably sound very bad to his relatives. He was sure when he first got back people would automatically think he was just a delinquent foreigner. But he didn't care, he had grown numb to caring what others thought of him.

He checked the time on his cellphone, and it read _1:15_. It was the middle of the night, all the other passengers in coach were asleep. All except for the boy, he couldn't sleep a wink. He spent the whole flight either listening to music on his headphones or doing some last minute cram studying in the Japanese language. He was really surprised how much he had forgotten about his own language in just eight years of absence. And at that moment, he was busying himself by staring out the window in his aisle. He could see nothing but miles of ocean stretching as far as his eyes could see, and mirroring that was a pitch black nighttime sky freckled lightly with stars. It was a full moon that night, it was so colossal and radiant that it's glow reflected across the ocean below. The boy's reflection in the mirror was also illuminated by the moon. He was of average height and weight, and had lightly tanned skin from years of living close to coast line back in Los Angeles. His eyes were a dazzling green, and his hair was a tangled mess of black and dyed blonde curls. He wore a plain red shirt, a blue hoodie, a pair of green pants, and some beaten up old, black and white tennis shoes.

After a while of looking out the window, he returned his attention to his phone's clock. The time now read _1:17_. He sighed in desperation. "God, is this flight ever going to end?" he asked himself in a whisper, trying to not wake the other passengers. Thankfully, his aisle was mostly empty save for a boy who looked to be about his age sleeping in the window seat on the other side of the plane.

The window now boring to him, the boy decided to busy himself by looking through his old messages. There was one from his parents, who messaged him as soon as he got on the plane. They told him they loved him and to be careful, the usual parental clichés. He tended to simply ignore those messages. After that there were several messages he had sent to someone simply monikered _Fuyu_ on his phone. It looked like he had sent several messages to Fuyu and out of all of them only one received a response, from a message he sent in Japanese hoping to increase his conversational skills. Fuyu's response was simply: _Your Japanese sucks_.

He frowned at the lone response. "Guess her feelings about all this are pretty obvious," he said to himself. He scrolled through all the other messages on his phone until he stopped at a single message that paralyzed him and made his eyes go wide in fear. It was from someone named _Chris_. The message simply read: _I screwed up dude! I screwed up bad! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!_

The boy quickly deleted the message, but he continued to stare at his phone screen in silent horror. Eventually he started to shake and brought the phone closer to his heart. "Fucking idiot," he simply whispered to himself as he leaned back into his chair. He closed his eyes as a single teardrop rolled down his left cheek.

Due to the stress he was facing, what with his sudden decision to move back to his home country, the problems with his childhood friend, and problems in his past back in Los Angeles, the boy's mind finally gave out and he slipped into a deep sleep after a few minutes of silent crying. And while his body lay asleep, his mind wandered until a strange dream was formed.

* * *

" _Wake up, young child of man. Thy destiny awaits thee,_ " a voice whispered in his ear.

The boy sat up with a sudden jerk. The surprise awakening frightened him so he took a few moments to catch his breath. After he had calmed down he noticed that he felt rejuvenated. It had been a while since the boy had received a good night's sleep, but now it felt like he had just taken an incredible power nap. "I definitely fell asleep, but I thought I just closed my eyes a few minutes ago," he said to himself. He pulled out his cellphone again. "How long was I out for?" His phone simply read: _No Connection_.

"What in the…?" and that was when he noticed the silence. Before he could hear the breathing and snoring of the other people in the coach section but now everything was completely quiet. He stood up out of his seat and was shocked by the sight he saw…or rather didn't see. Everyone in the coach section of the plane was gone. All their carry-on luggage was gone. Their seats weren't even adjusted; it was almost as if they were never there in the first place. "Where the hell is everybody?" He looked back at his phone. "What the hell is going on?" And then he took notice of a pale green light seeping through the plane windows. He turned around and looked out the window, and there he saw an even more bizarre sight. The pale white full moon that he had borne witness to not too long ago was gone and its place was an even more massive pale green full moon. And the deep blue sea below had transformed into a monstrous red sea that looked very similar to blood. "Where the hell am I?!" the boy shouted in fear.

And then suddenly an overhead announcement played on the plane's PA system. An unfamiliar, cheerful, and bubbly voice played on the com. " _Like attention passenger, attention passenger, we'd like to welcome you on your flight to oblivion. It's like so totally awesome that you're here. It's been like way too long since we've had a passenger on our plane._ " The voice giggled. " _That's right, you're not hearing things, I said passenger. Not passengers. Like singular, not plural. In other words, you're the only one who can come aboard our flight of fancy. Like how cool is that?_ "

"What's going on?! Who are you?!" the boy shouted.

" _Like, no need to shout. You're the only one here, so like I can hear you loud and clear. If you want answers, I'd be happy to give them. Just come up to first class and I'll tell you everything. Cool, right?_ " the unfamiliar girl replied.

"First class?" the boy replied in confusion.

" _Yeah, like this is totally your own private flight so why shouldn't you be in first class? Come on up here with me, it's like so totally comfy in here. The seats are as big as couches!_ " the girl exclaimed in glee.

The boy looked to the front of the coach section, and saw that a blue velvet curtain separated him from first class. "Alright, I'm coming to you then. No funny business, okay?" he said, standing on his toes and getting ready to flee in case this was some kind of trick. The boy walked to the front of the coach section and pulled back the blue velvet curtain. What he saw in the first class section made his mouth go agape. "Whoa," he said in amazement.

The first class section was far larger than the coach section, and it almost looked like some kind of fancy longue. The windows were draped in billowing blue curtains, and the floor was made up of a beautiful blue carpet. A crystal chandelier hung up overhead, and a fireplace stove stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by giant comfy-looking blue chairs which were indeed the size of couches. The boy had never been in first class before, but he knew for sure that this was definitely not what it was supposed to look like. He realized at that moment he had to have been dreaming, a realization that was only made more believable by the appearance of a cute blonde girl dressed in blue.

The girl's blonde hair was tied back into twin tails, that were held up by two blue scrunches with a cat pin on each of them. She wore a typical flight attendant's outfit that was all blue, from her hat to her shoes. And she also wore a pair of blue gloves as well. She had white porcelain skin and diamond-like blue eyes. She was sitting upside down in the chair farthest back to the right, as her legs hung up over the chair. She held the PA system's com in her right hand and when she saw the boy she waved and said through the com, " _Hello there, passenger. Like let me be the first person to welcome you to the Velvet Room._ "

"Velvet Room?" the boy replied in confusion.

The girl giggled. " _Yeah totally. This place is like in an entirely different dimension, and only special people can like travel here. That must mean you're really something, eh passenger?_ "

The girl sat back upright and turned off the com. "Name's Samantha, I'm like one of the guardians of this place."

"…" the boy was silent. He didn't know how to respond.

"Well like don't be a stranger, come on over here. Sit down, like take a load off," Samantha motioned for the boy to join her.

The boy hesitantly complied with the request and sat down in the chair opposite Samantha. "Alright, I'm definitely dreaming," he said to himself, not bothering to avoid Samantha hearing him. "This is really weird. I dream about girls sometimes; I mean all boys do. But this is the first time I've ever dreamt about you, I'm not really that into blondes."

Samantha giggled. "Your hair says otherwise. Like I've seen bad dye jobs before, but that one like totally takes the cake. And for the record, like I think you're totally cute, but you're like totally not my type either. You're like way too childish."

"Geez, even when you're trying to be harsh you sound all bubbly. Are you doing that on purpose or can you really not help yourself?" the boy asked.

"Like I have no idea what you're talking about. I've always been this way, I like don't really know why," Samantha replied. "What? Do girls like not act this way in your world?"

"No, they don't," the boy simply replied.

"Bummer, but I'm not going to like cry over it or anything. So anyway, I think it's about time I like introduced you to my Master," Samantha replied.

"Master?" the boy repeated in confusion.

"Yeah totally, the Master of the Velvet Room. He's going to like explain your role and the reason you're here and junk. I'm like just his assistant. I don't hold any real power here, that's like all the Master," Samantha explained. She got up from out of her chair and then walked over to a steel plated door at the front of the first class section. "Yoo-hoo, Master! Like the passenger is ready for you now and junk!" Samantha called out as she banged on the door. Then she backed away as a rumbling sound started to be heard from beyond the door. A few moments later, the rumbling ceased and the door opened up by itself, revealing the room beyond it to be the pilot's cockpit, and also revealing the person flying the plane, the pilot himself. He sat in a swivel chair with his back to the boy, so the boy couldn't see his face, but that didn't stop him from talking to the boy.

"Ah, yes. I've been expecting you to appear here for quite some time." The pilot's voice sounded whimsical, yet wise. The boy felt an odd sense of comfort from it. It was as if he knew he could trust the owner of this voice no matter what happened. Then the pilot turned around in his chair to face the boy, and the boy was surprised at the sight he saw. The pilot was actually an old man with an incredibly long nose. He had gray hair on the sides of his head and wore a creepy looking smile on his face. He wore an all black suit with coat tails and a pair of white gloves, similar to a traditional butler outfit. He also wore a blue pilot's cap with a pair of golden wings pinned on to it. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Igor, the master of this domain."

"So you're the master of this crazy place, eh?" the boy replied. "Man this is one weird dream."

Igor chuckled. "Just because this is a dream, doesn't mean that it isn't any less real."

"Actually, yes it does. That's the very definition of a dream," the boy replied in a smartass tone.

Igor chuckled. "Such delightful candor, it's been a while since I was able to converse directly with a guest. I'm afraid to say that I didn't get to see much of the last one due to some nasty circumstances."

"Wait, are you saying that I'm not the only one who's ever been here before?" the boy asked in a curious tone.

"Ah, now I've peaked your interest, have I?" Igor asked. Then he nodded. "Yes, many children of man throughout all of eternity have paid a visit to the Velvet Room at least once in their lifetimes. Some special individuals, like you, even have the power to venture here whenever they so please."

"There's that word again. Little Miss Sunshine over there said the same thing before," the boy motioned to Samantha. "What do you mean by special anyway? Just how am I special?"

Igor chuckled again. "My, my, we've never had a guest that wants to get right to the point so fast. Most individuals upon their first visit here, can barely say or do anything. It is indeed, just as I have heard. You are very different from other guests that we have had in this room. Very well, I will explain everything as best as I can, but first thing's first…" Igor waved his hand in the air and then he clenched it, and then suddenly a clipboard appeared in the clenched hand. "I need you to sign this contract." Igor handed the clipboard to Samantha, who in turn handed it to the boy.

"A contract? What for?" the boy replied.

"This contract states that you, our special guest, are free to use the services of the Velvet Room as you so wish. We will grant you our assistance in the future endeavors that will surely be cast upon you. However, in exchange for our assistance I ask you to acknowledge that the road ahead for you will be a long and treacherous one, full of lies and tricks of the nastiest kind. Even with our assistance, your endeavors may prove to be all for not if you fail, or worse journey down the wrong path. Whatever decision you make is entirely up to you, this contract is just an agreement to make sure you understand that we are not responsible should you meet a horrible fate."

"So basically it's like an insurance policy for you? But I still don't really understand. Why do I need your help? What are these future endeavors I'm going to be undertaking?" the boy asked.

Igor shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot go into more details until the contract has been signed. It is the way of the Velvet Room."

"Like them's the rules, it's not within in our power to change them," Samantha added.

The boy sighed. "Fine, but this whole thing is ridiculous." The boy grabbed the pen that was chained to the top of the clipboard and then signed his name on the signature line at the bottom of the contract. _宮崎拓也_ _(Miyazaki Takuya)_.

Then when Takuya finished signing his name, the clipboard and the contract suddenly disintegrated and turned into a series of small lights that flew up into the air and then disappeared. Igor chuckled again. "Excellent, excellent," he said as he applauded. "Now then allow me to explain, the role you will be undertaking." Igor waved his hands and then suddenly a deck of cards, marked with a mysterious blue mask on the back, appeared in the air. Igor shuffled the cards by waving his hands again and then when that was done he sorted the cards into groups and turned them over revealing there to be twenty-two different cards in total that were marked with Roman numerals. Each card also had a different picture or representation on it. "Have you ever heard of Tarot?"

"You mean fortune telling? Aren't those just magic tricks?" Takuya asked in an unimpressed manner.

Igor chuckled. "I assure you, this is no mere trick. Tarot is more than just a means to tell one's fortune, in a way it is a representation of one's journey through life. Allow me to explain," Igor pointed to the 0 card. "The journey of life begins with a person acting as the Fool. At the start of his trip, the Fool is a newborn and is unaware of the hardships he will face as he ventures out to learn the lessons of the world. The Fool stands somewhat outside the rest of the major arcana. Zero is an unusual number. It rests in the exact middle of the number system - poised between the positive and negative. In other words, the Fool is a Wild Card, he has the power to accomplish great things. He can save the world, or bring about its ruin. A sea of untapped potential lies within the Fool, and it is up to him to use that potential as he sees fit. The Fool is innocent of the world but is imbued with a desire to go forth and learn from it."

Then Igor pointed to the I card and the II card. "On his journey, the Fool immediately encounters the Magician and the Priestess - the great balancing forces that make up the perceived world. The Magician is the positive side. He represents the active, masculine power of creative impulse. He is also the world's conscious awareness. The Magician is the force that allows the Fool to impact the world through a concentration of individual will and power. The Priestess is the negative side. She is the mysterious unconscious. She provides the fertile ground in which creative events occur. The Priestess is the world's unrealized potential waiting for an active principle to bring it to expression. The Magician and the Priestess are absolutely equal in value and importance. Each is necessary for balance. The Fool may view the negative as their shadow, but without shadows, the Fool cannot see the light, and without a ground of potential, the Fool cannot create."

Then Igor pointed to the III card. "As the Fool grows, he becomes more and more aware of his surroundings. As with new born beings, he first recognizes his mother - the warm, loving woman who nourishes and cares for him. He also comes to know Mother Earth, who nurtures him in a larger sense. The Empress represents the world of nature and sensation. The Fool, much like a newborn, delights in exploring everything he touches, tastes and smells. He cannot get enough of the sights and sounds that enchant his senses. It is natural to delight in the abundant goodness of the Empress who surrounds us with her support."

Then Igor pointed to the IV card. "The next person the Fool encounters is the father, in the figure of the Emperor. He is the representative of structure and authority. As a newborn leaves his mother's arms, he learns that there are patterns to his world. Objects respond in predictable ways that can be explored. The child experiences a new kind of pleasure that comes from discovering order. The Fool also encounters rules. He learns that simply exerting his will does not always result in him getting his way and there are certain behaviors necessary for his well-being. There are people in authority who will enforce such guidelines. These restrictions can be frustrating, but, through the patient direction of the Emperor, the Fool begins to understand their purpose."

Then Igor pointed to the V card. "Eventually, the Fool ventures out of his home into the wider world. He is exposed to the beliefs and traditions of his culture and begins his formal education. The Hierophant represents the organized belief systems that begin to surround and inform the Fool, taking the role of the growing child. The Fool is trained in all the practices of his society and becomes part of a particular culture and worldview. The Fool learns to identify with a group and discovers a sense of belonging. He enjoys learning the customs of his society and showing how well he can conform to them."

Then Igor pointed to the VI card. "Eventually, the Fool faces two new challenges. He experiences the powerful urge for sexual union with another person. Before, he was mainly self-centered. Now he feels the balancing tendency, of the Lovers, to reach out and become half of a loving partnership. He yearns for relationship. The Fool also needs to decide upon his own beliefs. It is well enough to conform while he learns and grows, but at some point, he must determine his own values if he is to be true to himself. He must start to question received opinion."

Then Igor pointed to the VII card. "By the time the Fool becomes an adult, he has a strong identity and a certain mastery over himself. Through discipline and will **-** power, he has developed an inner control which allows him to triumph over his environment. The Chariot represents the vigorous ego that is the Fool's crowning achievement so far. For the moment, the Fool's assertive success is all he might wish, and he feels a certain self-satisfaction. His is the assured confidence of youth."

Then Igor pointed to the VIII card. "The Fool must now decide what to do with this newfound power given to him by the Chariot. He looks back over his life to trace the cause and effect relationships that have brought him to this point. He takes responsibility for his past actions so he can make amends and ensure a more honest course for the future. The demands of Justice must be served so that he can wipe the slate clean. This is a time of decision for the Fool. He is making important choices."

Then Igor pointed to the IX card. "Sooner or later, the Fool is led to ask himself the age-old question "Why?". He becomes absorbed with the search for answers, not from an idle curiosity, but out of a deeply felt need to find out why people live, if only to suffer and die. The Hermit represents the need to find deeper truth. The Fool begins to look inward, trying to understand his feelings and motivations. The sensual world holds less attraction for him, and he seeks moments of solitude away from the frantic activity of society. In time he may seek a teacher or guide who can give him advice and direction."

Then Igor pointed to the X card. "After much soul-searching, the Fool begins to see how everything connects. He has a vision of the world's wondrous design; its intricate patterns and cycles. Fortune is a symbol of the mysterious universe whose parts work together in harmony. When the Fool glimpses the beauty and order of the world, if only briefly, he finds some of the answers he is seeking. Sometimes his experiences seem to be the work of fate. A chance encounter or miraculous occurrence begins the process of change. The Fool may recognize his destiny in the sequence of events that led him to this turning point. Having been solitary, he feels ready for movement and action again. His perspective is wider, and he sees himself within the grander scheme of a universal plan. His sense of purpose is restored."

Then Igor pointed to the XI card. "Over time, life presents the Fool with new challenges, some that cause suffering and disillusionment. He has many occasions to draw on the quality of Strength. He is pressed to develop his courage and resolve and find the heart to keep going despite setbacks. The Fool also discovers the quiet attributes of patience and tolerance. He realizes the willful command of the Chariot must be tempered by kindliness and the softer power of a loving approach. At times, intense passions surface, just when the Fool thought he had everything, including himself, under control."

Then Igor pointed to the XII card. "Undaunted, the Fool pushes on. He is determined to realize his vision, but he finds life is not so easily tamed. Sooner or later, he encounters his personal cross - an experience that seems too difficult to endure. This overwhelming challenge humbles him until he has no choice but to give up and let go. At first, the Fool feels defeated and lost. He believes he has sacrificed everything, but from the depths he learns an amazing truth. He finds that when he relinquishes his struggle for control, everything begins to work as it should. By becoming open and vulnerable, the Fool discovers the miraculous support of his inner self. He learns to surrender to his experiences, rather than fighting them. He feels a surprising joy and begins to flow with life. The Fool feels suspended in a timeless moment, free of urgency and pressure. In truth, his world has been turned upside-down. The Fool is the Hanged Man, apparently martyred, but actually serene and at peace."

Then Igor pointed to the XIII card. "The Fool now begins to eliminate old habits and tired approaches. He cuts out nonessentials because he appreciates the basics of life. He goes through endings as he puts the outgrown aspects of his life behind him. The process may seem like dying because it is the Death of his familiar self to allow for the growth of a new one. At times this inexorable change seems to be crushing the Fool, but eventually he rises up to discover that Death is not a permanent state. It is simply a transition to a new, more fulfilling way of life."

Then Igor pointed to the XIV card. "Since embracing the Hermit, the Fool has swung wildly back and forth on an emotional pendulum. Now, he realizes the balancing stability of Temperance. He discovers true poise and equilibrium. By experiencing the extremes, he has come to appreciate moderation. The Fool has combined all aspects of himself into a centered whole that glows with health and well-being. The Fool has come a long way in realizing the harmonious life."

Then Igor pointed to the XV card. "The Fool has his health, peace of mind and a graceful composure. What more could he need? On everyday terms, not much, but the Fool is courageous and continues to pursue the deepest levels of his being. He soon comes face to face with the Devil. The Devil is not an evil, sinister figure residing outside of us. He is the knot of ignorance and hopelessness lodged within each of us at some level. The seductive attractions of the material bind us so compellingly that we often do not even realize our slavery to them."

Then Igor pointed to the XVI card. "How can the Fool free himself from the Devil? Can he root out his influence? The Fool may only find release through the sudden change represented by the Tower. The Tower is the ego fortress each of us has built around our beautiful inner cores. Gray, cold and rock-hard, this fortress seems to protect but it is really a prison of the mind. Sometimes only a monumental crisis can generate enough power to smash the walls of the Tower. The Fool may need such a severe shakeup if he is to free himself, but the resulting revelation makes the painful experience worthwhile. The dark despair is blasted away in an instant, and the light of truth is free to shine down upon him."

Then Igor pointed to the XVII card. "The Fool is suffused with a serene calm. The beautiful images on the Star attest to this tranquility. The Fool is blessed with a trust that completely replaces the negative energies of the Devil. His faith in himself and the future is restored. He is filled with joy and his one wish is to share it generously with the rest of the world. His heart is open, and his love pours out freely. This peace after the storm is a magical moment for the Fool."

Then Igor pointed to the XVIII card. "What effect could spoil this perfect calm? Is there another challenge for the Fool? In fact, it is his bliss that makes him vulnerable to the illusions of the Moon. The Fool's joy is a feeling state. His positive emotions are not yet subject to mental clarity. In his dreamy condition, the Fool is susceptible to fantasy, distortion, and a false picture of the truth. The Moon stimulates the creative imagination. It opens the way for bizarre and beautiful thoughts to bubble up from the unconscious, but deep-seated fears and anxieties also arise. These experiences may cause the Fool to feel lost and bewildered."

Then Igor pointed to the XIX card. "It is the lucid clarity of the Sun that directs the Fool's imagination. The Sun's illumination shines in all the hidden places. It dispels the clouds of confusion and fear. It enlightens, so the Fool both feels and understands the goodness of the world. Now, he enjoys a vibrant energy and enthusiasm. The Star's openness has solidified into an expansive assurance. No challenge is too daunting. The Fool feels a radiant vitality. He becomes involved in grand undertakings as he draws to himself everything he needs. He is able to realize his greatness."

Then Igor pointed to the XX card. "The Fool has been reborn. His false, ego-self has been shed, allowing his radiant, true self to manifest. He has discovered that joy, not fear, is at life's center. The Fool feels absolved. He forgives himself and others, knowing that his real self is pure and good. He may regret past mistakes, but he knows they were due to his ignorance of his true nature. He feels cleansed and refreshed, ready to start anew. It is time for the Fool to make a deeper Judgement about his life. His own personal day of reckoning has arrived. Judgement day has come at last. Since he now sees himself as he truly is, the Fool can make the necessary decisions about the future. He can choose wisely which values to cherish, and which to discard. He discovers his true vocation - his reason for entering this life. Doubts and hesitations vanish, and he is ready to follow his dream."

Then Igor pointed to the XXI card. "The Fool reenters the World, but this time with a more complete understanding. He has integrated all the disparate parts of himself and achieved wholeness. He has reached a new level of happiness and fulfillment. The Fool experiences life as full and meaningful. The future is filled with infinite promise. In line with his personal calling, he becomes actively involved in the world. He renders service by sharing his unique gifts and talents and finds that he prospers at whatever he attempts. Because he acts from inner certainty, the whole world conspires to see that his efforts are rewarded. His accomplishments are many. So the Fool's Journey was not so foolish after all. Through perseverance and honesty, he reestablished the spontaneous courage that first impelled him on his search for Self, but now he is fully aware of his place in the world. This cycle is over, but, the Fool will never stop growing. Soon he will be ready to begin a new journey that will lead him to ever greater levels of understanding."

"Potential?" Takuya repeated the word to himself. Then he finally understood. "So wait, you're saying I'm the Fool?"

Igor chuckled again and nodded. "Yes, that is correct. You are here because you possess the power of the Wild Card, and as such you are meant to go on a journey to realize your true potential. Your destiny is to change the world for the better, just as the previous holders of the Wild Card did so before you."

"What's wrong with the world?" Takuya asked.

Igor sighed. "I'm afraid that there has been a great unsettling in the balance of the world. And as such the Fool's Journey ends here…" Igor swept away all the cards except for the first fourteen, the Fool through Death. Igor pointed to the Death card. "As you should know, Death is not the end of the Fool's Journey but for some reason your world has become stuck on this arcana and refuses to move forward. The world is forcing change upon itself, a good thing yes, but when it starts forcing change on those who are not ready to change great calamity follows."

"How do you mean?" Takuya asked.

"As I have said before, the Death card means death of your former self. However, I'm afraid now due to unforeseen circumstances the card means it literal translation. Death is occurring more and more frequently in your world."

"That's nothing new," Takuya replied. "People die every day."

Igor nodded in agreement. "Yes, however death is not the end. It is only the beginning. Even in death, the journey does not end. The dead merely pass onto the next plane of existence and continue their journey through their new life. But for some reason this has stopped being the case in your world."

"Hold on, are you saying there really is an afterlife?" Takuya asked.

"What's wrong mortal? Like you don't believe in that kind of stuff?" Samantha asked.

Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "I've never really seen the point I guess. People die, there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Igor seemed dissatisfied. "Are you sure that's how you really feel?"

"If there is an afterlife, good, but I still don't see what that has to do with me," Takuya replied.

"It has everything to do with you," Igor replied. "Because the world has become stuck in death, the dead cannot pass onto the afterlife and cannot continue their journey. In other words, the dead are stuck in a never-ending limbo, forced to remain in the world of the living for eternity."

"So the dead can't pass on?" Takuya surmised.

Igor nodded. "Imagine the horror they're facing. They know their time is up but they are unable to move on. Forced into an endless limbo of the moment their life was taken from them. It is surely the worst kind of hell. And facing such extreme torture, it is not a wild assumption to say that their minds would become warped. Frothing with anger, what do you think would happen if their souls are released into the public?"

"Are you saying that people's spirits are hurting the living?" Takuya asked in curiosity.

"In your world several catastrophes have started occurring have they not?" Igor asked.

"Wait you mean those supposed terrorist attacks? You think those were actually because of those spirits?" Takuya asked in confusion.

Igor nodded. "It is the only explanation. Someone or something is preventing the dead from passing on, and due to their outrage and anguish they are lashing out on the world of the living."

"So what can I do?" Takuya asked.

"You, and many others like you have the potential to save both the world of the dead and the world of the living. You can become one who reaps the dead and delivers them to the afterlife," Igor explained.

"You mean like a Grim Reaper? Do those things even exist?" Takuya asked in a skeptic tone.

"I have never personally encountered one, however there is tell of a being who dwells within all of mankind. If I had to guess this being is the one who reaps lost souls," Igor explained. "However, he has not appeared in quite some time. I would most likely say that one of the reasons for the distortion is that he has most likely been permanently destroyed."

"So you want me to take this weird Reaper thing's place? Why?" Takuya asked.

"Because you have the potential to become one that can defy death, and at the same time embrace it. A being of light and darkness, of good and evil. A being of pure neutrality. Only people who have been touched by death and have lived to tell about it can obtain this power. The power of Persona."

"Persona?" Takuya repeated the word in a whisper.

"You have been touched by death, correct? Your coming has been foretold to me so I understand most of what's happened to you. An incident occurred back in your old city, did it not? An incident for which you blame yourself to this day? Is that correct?"

Takuya's eyes widened and he tensed up. "…" but he didn't dare say a word.

"You could change all that, if you so wish. You have the potential to make up for your sins and learn to forgive yourself," Igor implored.

"Like nothing's written in stone, yeah?" Samantha added. "You have the potential to change if you want."

"I can forgive myself?" Takuya asked. He clenched and unclenched fists. "Do I want to forgive myself though?"

"Hmm, clearly we will not reach a decision tonight," Igor surmised. "I will give you time to contemplate your answer. In the meantime, who knows? Maybe someone else will convince you of what you need to do."

Takuya sighed as a very grim realization came to him. "This isn't just a dream, is it?"

Igor chuckled again. "No, it's not. The Velvet Room takes the shape of the cognition of the guest's heart. You wish to be free of this pain, you want your hands be clean of the blood. You wish to fly high away from your troubles, however the guilt keeps you stationary and as a result we are stranded here hovering above an ocean of blood. This plane is useless as it cannot fly you to your true destination. It is definitely one of the most peculiar distortions I have ever seen, but definitely in the Velvet Room's realm of normality. The plane will not move again, until you either accept responsibility and atone for your past sins, or run away from those sins and drown in the victim's blood. The choice is entirely yours, as I have said before. I may be the pilot of this plane, but you the passenger decide where we go in the end."

Takuya nodded. "I want to see you guys again. Can I?"

Igor chuckled again. "But of course, you can come here to the Velvet Room as many times as you wish. And hopefully next time, you shall give me your answer."

"Thank you," Takuya said with a smile.

"Till next time, Takuya-kun. Have a safe trip back," Samantha said with a wave.

"Now return to your world where you are still fast asleep. A new day awaits you. Till we meet again." And then Takuya's world went white.

* * *

A few moments later, Takuya woke up with a startle. He was sweating profusely and panting rapidly. His attention immediately went to the window, the bizarre full moon and the blood red sea were gone, and what replaced it was a bright rising yellow sun and a sparkling blue ocean. It was morning. Then he noticed that a lot of the other passengers who just woke up were giving him strange looks. He decided to ignore them and eventually they turned their attention away from him. Then Takuya checked his phone. It read: _7:05_. Just fifty-five more minutes until the plane landed in Tokyo.

"Bad dream?" Takuya heard someone ask him. He looked to his left and saw that the person who addressed him was the only other person in his aisle, a boy about his age who had dark blue hair, light blue eyes, and a pair of black, broad-framed glasses. The boy smiled at Takuya. "We have some more time until we land. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Takuya awkwardly smiled back at him. "Umm, sure?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Velvet Room…**

Igor sat alone in one of the chairs in the first class section of the plane, and a small desk sat in front of him. He shuffled his Tarot deck by hand and then drew several cards from the top of the deck and placed them on the desk in a specific order. At the very center was the Fool, above that was the Strength arcana, to the right of the Fool was the Empress arcana, to the left of the Fool was the Chariot arcana, and below the Fool was the Priestess arcana. Then in the four corners created by the arcana lie four more arcana, Temperance was in the top left corner, Hanged Man was in the top right, Tower was in the bottom left, and Devil was in the bottom right. Igor chuckled at the sight of the nine arcana. "Very interesting."

"Master? Like what's up?" Samantha appeared next to Igor and peered over his shoulder to see what was so interesting. "Oh so this is all nine of them, eh?" Samantha pointed to the Fool, "There's Takuya-kun, and like those must be his friends, yeah?" Samantha scrunched her nose. "Wait hold on, aren't the arcana a bit weird? Like usually none of these would ever associate together regularly."

"Very astute observation, these children are as different as can be. However, fate has deemed that their lives will all be intertwined," Igor explained. "Nine children with the potential to become Reapers of Souls and Disillusions. They will indeed change the world, but whether it will be for better or worse, even the cards can't tell. This won't be like the other times a guest has paid a visit to the Velvet Room at all, if we don't keep a close eye on this group they may inadvertently destroy their world instead of save it." Then suddenly Igor's Tarot deck started to glow white. "Hmm, what's this now?"

And then the top card on the deck jumped off by itself and fell down upon the group of major arcana already on the desk. The new arcana was number XIII, Death. "Yikes, does that mean they're going to like die before they even begin?" Samantha asked.

Igor shook his head. "No, this means that fate has added a new player into their fold. Instead of nine as predicted, the quest will actually fall to ten. But still, seeing Death and the Fool so close together again does not bode well. You remember what happened to the last guest with those two arcana, correct?"

Samantha frowned. "Sis," she simply said.

"I pray that the same fate does not befall our new guest, hopefully this time the Fool and Death can act in cooperation until the very end," said Igor.

* * *

A/N: What will Takuya's choice be? And just what is this horrible event he's trying to escape? Who's the person who represents Death? And furthermore, who is this guy with the glasses? For all these questions and more, please continue to follow the story.


	5. Chapter II

A/N: I am pleased that ye hast decided to join me once again, children of man. Well then shall we proceed with the story?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter II: A bad start to a new life**

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Morning**

 **Back in the world of man…**

The boy with glasses seemed quiet for the most part, but at the same time he had a jovial feel about him. He wore an argyle sweater vest and a red tie over a blue collared dress shirt, and he also wore a pair of khaki pants, and a pair of nice black shoes. It was odd how easy it was for Takuya to open up to him, but he just seemed so patient and understanding that Takuya couldn't help but tell him about his troubles.

The boy with glasses sat back in his chair and contemplated what Takuya had told him. "Hmm, I see so you're originally from Tokyo, eh? And this'll be the first time you've been back there in over eight years? Well it's no wonder you're so stressed. I'd be stressed too if I was moving into such a big city all by myself."

"Oh I'm not going to live on my own," Takuya replied. "I have family over there, my grandfather's agreed to take me in."

"Well there's some small comfort I guess," the boy with glasses replied. "Moving from one country to another so suddenly is definitely no easy task. You said you lived in Los Angeles originally, right?"

"Yeah, you too?" Takuya asked.

The boy with glasses shook his head. "No I was just getting on a connecting flight from there, I'm originally from Japan too, but I've lived in Europe for pretty much my whole life."

"So I guess we're both fish out of water, eh?" Takuya replied with a chuckle.

The boy with glasses chuckled as well. "Yeah, I guess we are, aren't we?" The two boys laughed at their similarities.

Takuya sighed. "You know, it's been a while since I've talked so openly with anyone about these things. It's nice."

The boy with glasses nodded in agreement. "Yeah it is." Then he smiled at Takuya. "Come to think of it, we never got each other's names did we? I'm Masahisa, Masahisa Oikawa." Masahisa stuck out his hand, motioning for Takuya to shake it.

"Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya replied as he shook Masahisa's hand.

The boys then retracted their hands. "So Miyazaki-kun, what school are you transferring to?"

"Umm, actually it's uh…Yousha Academy," Takuya struggled to get the words out.

Masahisa's eyes widened. "Oh, I see. Why there though, if I may ask?"

"My grandfather works there, he wants me to transfer there so he can keep a closer eye on me," Takuya explained.

Masahisa laughed. "Geez, you must have screwed up really bad back home if you're being shipped over there. You've heard the rumors about Yousha, right?"

Takuya nodded silently.

"They say it's a school for "gifted" children but that's just a front. In reality all the students there have gotten in trouble at other schools in one way or another. It's privately owned so most of the public schools see it as a dumping ground for their troubled students. I've actually heard that more than a handful of the students who currently attend there have arrest records. It's kind of like being thrown into a den of lions," Masahisa sighed. "But then again, it could also be said that it's dumping ground for children who are considered embarrassments in normal academia. I guess that's why I'm being shipped over there too."

"You too? Wait, you're attending Yousha too?" Takuya asked.

Masahisa nodded and then he sighed again. "My parents…are difficult people to live with. They expected me to be the best at everything, anything less would do nothing but shame them. I couldn't deal with all that pressure so I ended up flunking out of my old school. So they shipped me off back to Japan, so I wouldn't embarrass them anymore. They're very cruel people." Masahisa put on a brave face and then he turned his attention to Takuya. "But enough about me. How about you? Why are you being sent off to Yousha?"

"Well I'm not being sent off really. Yousha may have not been my first choice of schools but I decided to come back to Japan on my own," Takuya replied.

"Oh?" Masahisa sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I…I needed a change of pace. I was doing fine at my old school…but umm…let's just say something really bad happened. And after that people started looking at me differently. I didn't let it get to me at first but then it escalated really fast. I didn't want to be a burden on my parents and drag them down into my mess so I made the decision to move back to Japan to get away from all that. It's not so bad though, this is just a new beginning for my life. And this will be the first time I've seen my grandfather and my cousin in forever so I'm really excited," Takuya explained.

"Cousin?" Masahisa repeated the word.

Takuya nodded. "My cousin, Fuyumi, she was my best friend when I was younger. And apparently she lives with my grandfather now too. I haven't even spoken to her in years. I wonder what she's like now."

Masahisa sighed. "Must be nice, having family even so far away from home. All my relatives are either dead or want nothing to do with me. It's just gonna be me on my own from here on out."

"Not necessarily," Takuya replied. "We're going to the same school, that means we can hang out together anytime we want. You ever want someone to talk to, just let me know."

Masahisa chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. This is great, who would've thought I would have made my first friend on the plane ride over here?"

Takuya smiled at Masahisa. 'He's got a lot of problems, I can tell. But he keeps them hidden behind that cheerful smile. He's just like Chris. No, actually now that I think about, maybe he's a little more like me?'

"Say that reminds me, you never did tell me what your dream was about," said Masahisa. "Judging from your jerk awakening I'm guessing it was something pretty intense."

Takuya shook his head. "Not really intense, it was actually kind of comforting." Then he chuckled. "It was just really weird, that's all."

" _Attention passengers. Attention passengers. We are now beginning our descent into Tokyo and will be arriving at Haneda Airport in ten minutes, please fasten your safety belts now and prepare for our descent,_ " one of the flight attendants instructed over the plane's PA system.

"Well I guess you'll have to tell me about it some other time then," said Masahisa as he fastened on his safety belt. "Better get ready for our landing."

Takuya nodded and also fastened his safety belt. Then he spent the remainder of the time thinking over one thing. 'I wonder how Samantha would have made that announcement? Something along the lines of ' _Like attention passengers, you should probably fasten your safety belts and junk because we're like totally about to land_ '?' he thought to himself. Then he couldn't help but laugh at the idea.

Soon the massive city of Tokyo could be made out from the windows, and the plane began to land down at Haneda Airport. After a few bumps, the plane smoothly touched down on the airstrip and came to a complete stop. Then another overhead announcement was heard. " _Attention passengers. Attention passengers. We have now arrived at our destination, please be kind and courteous when unloading from the plane. We know that you have your choices of flying and we appreciate you for choosing to fly with us. Have a nice day._ " Takuya unbuckled his safety belt and then gathered his carry-on luggage. With that done he was ready to leave the plane, but something out his window caught his eye before he turned to leave. It was a butterfly with wings as blue and dazzling as diamonds. He only caught a glimpse of it before it flew past his window but he was able to clearly make it out. And just the sight of the butterfly filled Takuya with great serenity.

"Hey, Miyazaki-kun!" Takuya heard Masahisa call out to him. He was near the exit and appeared to be waiting on Takuya to join him. "You're getting off here, right?!"

"Yeah, sorry I'm coming," Takuya replied as he grabbed his luggage and ran to the exit. After that, he and Masahisa walked side by side and talked about different things until before they knew it they were in the middle of the airport.

"Hey, since we're heading to the same place why don't I call us a cab? We can share the fare?" Masahisa asked as he pulled out his phone.

Takuya shook his head. "Thanks but no thanks, my grandfather's supposed to be picking me up himself."

Masahisa seemed a little disappointed. "Oh okay, just thought I'd ask." Then he quickly cheered up. "Well I guess we won't see other again until we're both at Yousha, so here let's trade contact info," Masahisa said as he turned his phone's wireless syncing function on.

"Sure thing." Takuya pulled out his phone as well and then turned on the wireless syncing function. Both boys' phones administered a small electronic beep and then they put them away.

"Well then, I guess this is good…" then something caught Masahisa's attention. "Hey is that guy here for you?" Masahisa pointed to someone behind Takuya.

Takuya turned to see a man dressed in a black chauffer uniform amongst several other drivers. However, the chauffer drive stuck out to him because he was holding a sign with Takuya's name written on it. Takuya immediately became crestfallen. "He really didn't show."

"So he is here for you?" Masahisa replied. He could tell Takuya was keeping something from him.

Takuya sighed and then sat down on a nearby bench. "Yeah, he is. How to explain this?" Takuya asked himself. Then after a few moments of thought he began to explain things. "You remember how I said that my grandfather works for Yousha? I neglected to mention that the position he holds is owner and headmaster of the academy."

Masahisa's eyes widened in surprise. "No way, your family is rich?!"

Takuya sweatdropped at Masahisa's reaction. "My grandfather is. His father, my great-grandfather, was apparently a corporate financial giant when he was still alive. He left everything to my grandfather when he died and my grandfather used that money to open Yousha. And he's been headmaster ever since."

Masahisa sat down on the bench next to Takuya. "Why would you be ashamed of that? You grandfather sounds like one of those kind-hearted rich philanthropists, like Richard Branson or something," Masahisa replied.

"I don't really know the details, but apparently he and my dad had a falling out when I was little. I don't know if that was the direct cause of us moving to America, or just one of many reasons. All I know for sure is that after that my dad barely spoke a word about my grandfather, save for calling him a worthless provider and caregiver," Takuya explained. "I loved spending time with my grandfather when I was younger, I thought he was such a great man. But after I got older my dad told me that when he was my age my grandfather barely had him and my grandmother on his mind. His life was completely devoted to that school. Every cent he had, every cent he earned went straight into the school. It was the only legacy he cared about as my dad put it. He provided well for them sure, but he wouldn't even really pay them the time of day. And when I heard all that, I felt really bad for my dad. I hated how he grew up without a real father."

"…" Masahisa stayed silent.

"My dad told me he would do this if I came and lived with him. He told me that he will never change his ways, he's always too busy for his own family. I told him that I wanted to come back here and stay with him, but the truth is it was almost like he barely even cared. He used to make time for me and my cousin, but I guess that's not the case anymore. Apparently I'm not that much of a concern to him. Now that I think about it, getting me to enroll in Yousha may just have been a formality so he wouldn't have to worry about me being outside his true realm of concern. I wonder, am I going to get to see him at all my whole time here?" Takuya asked himself.

"Hey," Masahisa tried to get Takuya's attention too. "You literally just got here, and you already want to go home? What's this really about?"

He saw right through him. Takuya sighed. "What if they don't want me either? I'll have nowhere else to go, nowhere else where I can truly belong."

"Well then in that case we really will be in the same boat, won't we?" Masahisa smiled at Takuya. "We're friends now, right? I can come to you with any problems I have, so you can come to me with any problems you have. It's only fair."

It was amazing. Takuya and Masahisa were instantly drawn to each other, almost as if it was fate. Both boys found it so easy to open up to one another, you would think that they had been best friends all their lives. And yet, not one hour ago they were complete strangers. Then a thought occurred to Takuya. 'Hang on, could he be?' Igor's words came flooding back to him.

 **Flashback:**

" _You, and many others like you have the potential to save both the world of the dead and the world of the living. You can become one who reaps the dead and delivers them to the afterlife," Igor explained._

" _You mean like a Grim Reaper? Do those things even exist?" Takuya asked in a skeptic tone._

" _I have never personally encountered one, however there is tell of a being who dwells within all of mankind. If I had to guess this being is the one who reaps lost souls," Igor explained. "However, he has not appeared in quite some time. I would most likely say that one of the reasons for the distortion is that he has most likely been permanently destroyed."_

" _So you want me to take this weird Reaper thing's place? Why?" Takuya asked._

" _Because you have the potential to become one that can defy death, and at the same time embrace it. A being of light and darkness, of good and evil. A being of pure neutrality. Only people who have been touched by death and have lived to tell about it can obtain this power. The power of Persona."_

'Persona?' that word echoed in Takuya's mind. 'Is he like me? Another person with potential?'

"Hey!" Masahisa shouted in Takuya's face to get his attention.

"What?! Oh sorry, I kind of zoned out," Takuya replied.

Masahisa smirked. "It's fine, I was just saying that since your grandfather sent one of his goons over to pick you up instead of coming himself like he promised, what do you say we have a little fun at his expense?" He pulled out his cellphone again, "I still have the number for the taxi service."

Takuya smirked as well and the boys quickly put their plan into motion. Masahisa made the call and then within twenty minutes the boys sneaked past he chauffer sent to collect Takuya and instead made their way to the cab they had ordered. Masahisa got into the back of the taxi first and then Takuya followed behind him, luckily the boys had a small amount of carry-on luggage so it was a comfortable fit. "So you're sure we're good? You didn't leave anything at baggage check, did you?" Masahisa asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, my parents already shipped the rest of my stuff to Yousha, you?" Takuya asked.

"Same, this backpack is the only thing I got to my name right now," Masahisa replied as he motioned to his backpack.

Takuya quickly texted a message on his cellphone and put it back in his pocket without waiting for a reply. "And I just texted my cousin that I'm getting a ride with a friend instead, so I'll let her pass on the news to grandfather."

The taxi driver interrupted the boys. "Hey! Are you kids planning on going anywhere or what?"

Takuya turned back to Masahisa. "So what do you want to do now, head directly to the campus?"

"Actually, since we're changing our plans do you want to stop and get some breakfast before we head over to our new school lives?" Masahisa asked.

Takuya's stomach growled in response, making the dyed blonde boy blush in embarrassment. "..."

Masahisa chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." Then he turned to face the taxi driver. "Hey we're starting school at Yousha Academy, do you know any cheap places with good food around that area?"

"Yousha Academy, that's near Akihabara, right?" the taxi driver replied.

"Yes sir, smack dab in the middle of Chiyoda," Masahisa replied enthusiastically.

The taxi driver chuckled. "Alright then, I've got just the place in mind. I eat there all the time, trust me you're going to love it." And with that the boys were off on an adventure into the heart of Tokyo.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Noon**

"Oh my God, I can't eat another bite!" Masahisa exclaimed. As he rubbed his stomach.

"Geez, I know what you mean. Those portions were huge, and so cheap too. We ended up having enough for breakfast and lunch," Takuya replied, rubbing his stomach as well. The boys ingested eight plates of food between the two of them. The restaurant that the taxi driver ended up dropping them off at was a small and simple diner on the outskirts of Akihabara called _Simple Delights_. The food they prepared were simple things you would expect to buy in a diner, old-fashioned homemade meals and deserts. A clear contradiction to Akihabara's thriving otaku restaurants and cafes. By the time the boys were finished with their breakfast, lunchtime had already begun, and their stomachs were still starving for more delicious food.

Masahisa stifled a burp. "I think I'm good on my meals for the entire week. But one thing's for sure, the next time we are absolutely starving, we're definitely coming here again. Deal?"

"Deal," Takuya replied with a chuckle. Then Takuya pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and checked the time. "Wow, we've been here a while. It's almost twelve." Then he checked his messages and chuckled again. "And it looks like my cousin has been pitching a fit for the past hour and a half. I've gotten ten different texts from her."

"What do they say?" Masahisa asked.

" _This isn't funny, grandfather's going to get mad. Don't do this to him. Why do you have to start causing trouble the moment you arrive?_ " Takuya read off a few of his cousin's messages. "There are a few in here about you too. _You just met this person a few hours ago and now you're going somewhere with him, are you completely stupid? What do you even know about this boy anyway? Can't you for at once in your life just think things through_? There a few more but that's when it starts to get really naggy. God, I've been trying to get a decent reply out of her for months and to think all it took to do so was make her mad. Maybe I should start being more of a jerk to her."

Masahisa chuckled. "God it's so funny."

"What is?" Takuya asked.

"The way you constantly complain about her, and then make up for those complaints by saying something you like about her. The way she keeps bugging you out of concern for your well-being and is very consistent in insulting you and your intelligence. It kind of sounds like you're married more than you are cousins." Masahisa played with the straw in his drink. "Hey were you two ever…you know kissing cousins?"

Takuya did a spit take with his drink. "What the fuck kind of question is that?! No way, she was like my best friend, and my cousin who acted a lot like my annoying sister on top of that! Of course we weren't like that! Gross! What the hell's wrong with you?!" Takuya shouted getting some questionable stares from the other diner patrons.

Masahisa's laughter grew. "Geez, no need to get so embarrassed. Actually, the fact that you're so testy right now leads me to believe that there was something there, am I right?"

Takuya blushed and then sighed in defeat. "Well we did kind of kiss once."

"Heh, I knew it! I have a sixth sense for that kind of stuff!" Masahisa exclaimed.

"Shut up, we were both six and it was just for a few seconds! We were just curious! And we were both disgusted with it afterwards!" Takuya shouted. "Geez, why the hell am I telling you this?" Takuya asked himself.

"Beats me, but's it's kind of nice. I've never had a friend be this open with me before," Masahisa said with a smile.

"Okay, you know way too much about my personal life as is. So let's hear something about you," Takuya replied.

"Sure, it's only fair. What would you like to know?" Masahisa asked as he continued to sip away at his drink.

"Let me know if I'm crossing the line here, but I really want to know. Why did you flunk out of your other school?" Takuya asked.

Masahisa's expression did a 180. "I told you already didn't I? I cracked under the pressure that my parents put me under. You hear about it all the time, right? Only for me it's like a billion times worse." Masahisa started to mindlessly stir his straw around in his drink. "My dad's kind of a big thing in the medical world. People call him a genius surgeon. And my mom is a very studious literature professor, she's really strict with her students and a real stickler for perfection. My whole life they've driven me to become a success like them. Every day since I first attended kindergarten, it was study, study, study, all the time. Before school I would study, after school I would study, and on the weekends I would study. There was no time for friends or free-time, or anything that interested me. I wasn't naturally gifted like them so I had to work twice as hard to keep up with their impossibly high expectations. And they never, not once, asked me what I wanted to do with my life. Up until about two years ago, I just let them completely control my life."

"What happened?" Takuya asked.

"The guidance counselor at my school asked me what I wanted to major in when I got into college. And I honestly told him flat out that I was probably going to end up being a surgeon or a professor because my life was completely dictated by my parents. And he was the first person to ask me what I longed to hear. What did I want to do with my life? I couldn't come up with an answer, so he recommended that I do some serious sole searching. He told me, it's my life, no one else's. And for the first time in my life I felt happy." Then Masahisa sighed. "After that I stopped trying to live up to my parent's expectations. I just wanted to do what I considered to be my best, and figure out who I am along the way. Things really changed, I found a nice group of friends, joined a few clubs, and started really living my life," he explained.

"But let me guess. Your grades dropped didn't they?" Takuya asked.

"My GPA dropped just a little bit, and even though I was still the head of my class, to my parents I was a failure. They looked at me with such contempt, like I was lower than dirt to them. And that's when I realized, I fucking hated them." Masahisa's grip on his drink tightened. "I didn't think it was possible for someone to completely hate their family. But I did, I hated my parents. I hated them so much, so much so that I forced them to kick me out."

Takuya was confused at first but then a realization struck him. "You flunked out on purpose."

Masahisa nodded. "I didn't care what happened. I didn't care where I had to go. I just wanted them out of my life." Then he smiled. "And now, I'm finally free. Heavy, right?"

"No, I understand completely. When people think they know you, you become just a label to them. And they end up associating you with just that label, you're never anything else to them. Your parents, they sound really bad, I can only imagine. But trust me when I say that I get what you mean. People's disapproving stares, the feeling that you don't belong anywhere. It hurts, it hurts so fucking much," Takuya replied.

"…" Masahisa was surprised by Takuya's reply.

"Just know, no matter what. You're not alone," Takuya assured him.

Masahisa smiled. "Thanks man." Then he chuckled in delight. "You realize, at this point you are like my best friend in the world."

"Same here," Takuya replied.

Masahisa raised up his drinking glass. "Let's make a toast. To new beginnings, and new friends."

Takuya nodded and raised up his glass as well, and then he and Masahisa clinked their glasses together and exclaimed, "Cheers!" And then they both chugged down the last bit of liquid in the glasses.

"Well it's been fun, but I think maybe we should get going soon or else your cousin and grandfather may get even more pissed off than they are now," said Masahisa. "Check please!" he exclaimed to a waitress that walked by. "And don't worry about chipping in, this is on me," he said to Takuya.

"Thanks man." Then Takuya got up from his seat. "I'm gonna head to the restroom before we head out."

"Take your time, I'll be here," Masahisa replied.

Takuya nodded and then headed in the direction of the diner's back restrooms. He made use of one of the urinals to quickly relieve himself and then made his way to the sink to wash his hands. He turned the faucet on and then started rubbing his hands together with the soap, and then a few seconds later things started to get very creepy. Takuya was the only one in the restroom at the time but he soon heard a loud * _clunk_ * coming from one of the nearby stalls. However, Takuya wasn't easily startled and figured that it was just the pipes settling. Until, a sudden chill ran up his spine. He breathed out and noticed that his breath had turned ice cold.

"What the hell? Who turned up the AC?" It just kept getting colder and colder. And within mere seconds the restroom had turned into a meat locker. Takuya stopped washing his hands and then braced himself from the cold by covering and rubbing his chest. His teeth chattered and his body shivered immensely. "Why is it so fucking cold in here?" And then Takuya heard a sound that put him over the edge. A horrible, unsettling gasp for breath. He could hear someone dying! His attention turned to second to the right restroom stall. "Hello? Is anybody in there?" The gasps started to get more frequent and raspier with each step Takuya took to the stall.

With much hesitation he reached for the stall's handle and pulled it open, but his hesitation could not prepare him for the sight he saw. A girl with long, orangeish-brown hair, who wore a ladybug shaped barrette. She was wearing a school uniform, a very prestigious one by the looks of it. The blazer had an emblem on it that depicted an angel. Her skin was pale blue, and her eyes were bloodshot. She was gasping for breath, and it was easy to see the reason why. She was strung up with a noose tied to a non-existent ceiling.

"Holy crap," Takuya whispered.

The girl saw Takuya and she uttered a plea of help with her dying breaths. "Help…me. Help...me."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Takuya exclaimed. The shock made him collapse the ground on his behind. He just stared up at the hanging girl in horror.

"Please…help…me. Please…help…me," the girl kept whispering.

Takuya shook himself to his senses and then got up off the floor and rushed to the girl's side. He tried to grab ahold of the rope but he found that it was no use. No matter how many times he tried to grab ahold of the rope it would just slip through his fingers. It was almost like the rope wasn't there at all. "Dammit! Come on!" Becoming desperate, Takuya made a grab for the girl instead, only to find that she slipped through his fingers as well. "Dammit! What the hell?!" He looked up to the girl. "What's going on?! What happened to you?!"

"Rei-…suke," the girl simply uttered a name.

"Reisuke?! Who's Reisuke?! Did he do this to you?!" Takuya shouted.

The girl began to gargle; she was most likely choking from the stress of the rope noose against her windpipe. And her eyes were starting to shut. "Rei-…suke…I'm…sorry…" And then her eyes closed completely.

"No! No! No! Don't close your eyes! Don't you dare close your eyes! Wake up!" Takuya tried to grab onto the girl but his hands still missed her. It was almost like she wasn't really there either. "Dammit! Wake up!" Tears were starting to stream down Takuya's eyes. Then he punched the side of the bathroom stall. "Dammit! What the hell is going on?!"

"She's not dead…yet, that is," another person said.

Takuya turned around immediately and came face to face with another boy. He had sandy brown hair and sea-foam green eyes. He was at least a few inches shorter than him and looked like he was in his first year of high school. He wore a white dress shirt which appeared to be too big for him, due to its bagginess and the fact that its sleeves drooped way past his hands. And he also wore a brown trench coat, a loosely worn red tie, a pair of black dress pants, and a pair of brown loafers. "Who are you?! Did you do this to her?!" Takuya walked towards the boy, his hands already balled up into fists. "Are you Reisuke, dammit?!"

"Who?" the boy replied as he cocked his head to the side.

Takuya grabbed him by coat collar and pushed him into the wall. "The guy who killed that girl, dammit! Don't fuck with me!"

"I already told you that she isn't dead. Are you hard of hearing?" the boy simply replied.

"Don't give me that shit! She was hanged to death! Right over…!" Takuya turned around again to show the boy the body and was surprised to see that the girl and the rope had simply vanished into thin air. In Takuya's shock he let go of the boy and placed him back down on the floor. "What the fuck? Where did she go? She was right here."

"Interesting, so you can see but it doesn't seem like you're aware that you can see," the boy simply said.

"What the hell are you talking about?! See what?!" Takuya barked at the boy.

The boy looked confused. "You really have no clue, do you?" Then he sighed. "Okay, let me try to explain this in very simple terms. You aren't imagining things. That girl was real, what happened to her…what's going to happen to her is real. There are certain people in this world who can see death, before it transpires and after, I'm one of those people and apparently so are you. This isn't where she's going to die of course, the aura of death around her must be so strong that it's even projecting far outside the radius where it's actually going to take place. But I think you're pretty clear on how it's going to go down. Even though it was staged to look like a hanging, it wasn't suicide. Someone strung her up and left her to die. After all, why would a person who's trying to commit suicide ask for help?"

Takuya was surprised. "You? Are you a Grim Reaper?"

Now the boy seemed surprised. "How do you know about Grim Reapers?"

"From an old man with a long nose," Takuya simply replied.

The boy was confused. "That's a new one. Well if you know about them, then you should also know this. They're just a myth created by man. They don't exist, never have. I don't know where people go when they die, but it sure as hell isn't up above or down below. There is no cloaked figure with a scythe peering over your shoulder. I should know, I've never seen one."

"So then who are you?" Takuya asked.

"My name's Shinichi, other than that I can't tell you," Shinichi replied.

"And why can't you tell me?" Takuya asked.

"I just can't," Shinichi simply replied.

"Alright then tell me how you can see the things I can. How did you get this power? Why do I have this power?" Takuya asked.

"Don't know," Shinichi replied.

"Well do you at least know who that girl is?" Takuya asked.

"Nope, never seen her before. But if we saw her like that then she's definitely going to die soon if something isn't done," Shinichi explained.

"So you know about this stuff but you don't know how you know? Either that or you can't tell me how you know? Is that about right?" Takuya asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Shinichi replied.

Takuya nodded in understanding and then sighed. "Stop fucking with me!" he shouted. And then after that he bum rushed Shinichi and tried to push him to the wall again out of frustration. Only this time…Takuya's hands went right through him. Takuya was surprised. "What the fuck?!" This wasn't a dream; his hands had actually gone through Shinichi's shoulders.

Shinichi simply stepped out of the way of Takuya's hands and then he began to explain. "Now do you get why I couldn't tell you anything? I'm figuring this stuff out just like you, I just have a bit of an advantage when it comes to the knowledge of death. Do you understand?"

"You're a ghost?" Takuya simply replied in a whisper.

"I think so, yeah. I don't remember anything besides my name. Shinichi, I'm sure that was my name when I was alive. But anything else, I have no idea. I sensed you, you know. That's why I came here." He stared at the bathroom stall. "I'm a ghost, so it makes sense that I can see this kind of stuff. But you? In the short time that I've been like this, I've never seen a living person who's able to see these things."

"So that girl, was she a ghost too?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi shook his head. "Too be honest, I don't really know what she was. I've seen a few people like her from time to time, begging for help that never comes. It happens right before they die and turn into ghosts for real. I think it's some kind of warning, like an omen of death. If that's the case with this girl too then she is definitely going to die. It's only just a matter of time. She's going to die, nothing we can do about it."

"What do you mean there's nothing we can do about it?" Takuya asked.

"You can't stop death, it's inevitable. That girl is going to get murdered and there's nothing we can do to stop it. It's best just to move on and forget all this ever happened," Shinichi replied.

"Bull crap!" Takuya exclaimed. "You're telling me there's nothing we can do?! No, I do not accept that! Help me find her! We can stop this before it begins!"

"It would be a waste of time. We may never find her, and even if we do there's no telling when it will happen or who will do her in. Let come what may, it has nothing to do with us," Shinichi simply replied. Then he sighed. "It was obviously a mistake to come and talk to you. This will be the last time we see each other again, good luck…with whatever you choose to do with this information." Then Shinichi began to walk out of the restroom.

"Wait, dammit!" Takuya tried to grab ahold of Shinichi's arm, only to have his hand pass right through his body again. Takuya tried to grab ahold of him again, and again, and again, only to be met with the same result each time. "Dammit, why can't I touch you anymore!"

Shinichi turned back to look at Takuya when he was at the door. "Another thing I've learned in my short time like this; we can only be corporeal when want to be. The rest of the time it's like we're not even really here." Then Shinichi phased through the door like it wasn't there to begin with and disappeared.

"Wait, dammit! Wait!" Takuya rushed out of the restroom in search of Shinichi. And upon entering the diner once again, was greeted with strange stares from the other diner patrons. They most likely heard all his shouting from the restroom. Takuya's only concern at the moment though was finding Shinichi. So in a frazzled state he looked all around him for any trace of the sandy brown-haired boy.

"Hey Miyazaki-kun?" Someone grabbed hold of Takuya's shoulder, and Takuya turned around fast to see that the person was Masahisa. He looked concerned for him. "Are you okay? Did something happen in there?"

"There was a guy. A guy," Takuya explained. "He knows something. We have to find him."

"What guy? What does he know?" Masahisa asked in a confused tone.

"Someone's going to die! He knows something!" Takuya exclaimed.

"You're not making any sense? What's going on?" Masahisa asked. And then Takuya saw him. Shinichi was outside the diner, and across the street. He locked eyes with Takuya and didn't move from his spot. Takuya didn't even hesitate before rushing out of the diner and racing to Shinichi. "Hey wait! What's going on?!" Masahisa exclaimed. But Takuya didn't hear him, his mind was only preoccupied with Shinichi. He had to find out what he knew. That girl's life depended on it.

Takuya ran until he was in the middle of the road, only by that time Shinichi had disappeared yet again. And before Takuya even knew what was going on, a loud * _honk, honk_ * caught his attention. A dark blue car was barreling right towards him. He had run out into the road right in the middle of traffic. At that point he was too frightened to move. His feet were stuck to the ground, he was completely petrified. The car tried to swerve out of the way to avoid him but it seemed like it was too late.

Takuya's life flashed before his eyes. 'Is this really it? Am I really going to die here?' he asked himself. But then he felt someone push him out of the path of the car. He landed on his backside and saw that the person who pushed him out of the way was Masahisa. However, doing so caused Masahisa to wind up in the car's path instead and within mere moments he was run down by the car. It was horrifying. The shock of the impact caused Masahisa's body to fly through the air and crash land a few meters away. Takuya stared at the body of his fallen friend in shock and horror. His body was contorted in a nasty shape, blood was pouring from his head, and glass and debris littered the area around his body. The car that hit him ended up crashing into a nearby street sign. The driver was badly injured.

It was a couple more seconds before it finally sunk in. And after that Takuya immediately ran over to Masahisa's side. "No! Dear God please, no!" He tried to feel for a pulse, and after a few desperate moments checking his arms and neck, he finally found a faint one. He was alive, but barely. "Somebody help! Call 119!" Takuya shouted. He tried to wake up Masahisa. "Oikawa, come on wake up! Please, you can't do this! Wake up! You have to wake up! Don't die, you can't die! Please no!" Then he shouted back at the onlookers who were beginning to show up. "Someone call a damn ambulance!" Takuya began to bawl and bawl. Tears streamed down his cheeks and fell onto his shirt. 'Again?! Why is this happening again?! Why do I hurt everyone I touch?!' he inwardly exclaimed.

Takuya heard ambulance sirens in the distance but by that point he was already too far gone. His grief had dazed him and he could barely think about anything at that point. He was tired, so tired of things like this happening to the people around him. It seemed that no matter where he went he would just keep hurting people, he truly thought that his life was cursed.

* * *

A/N: And the child of destiny has been met with a great obstacle to overcome. At this point death has not only touched him, but completely enveloped his life. How will he overcome these problems in order to reach his full potential and awaken to the power of Persona? Stay tuned to find out.


	6. Chapter III

A/N: I bid ye welcome once again to my realm, children of man. Ye have come at a great opportunity, as it appears that thy young champion is about to accept his destiny. It will be only a matter of time until the power of Persona is awakened once again. I wonder what surprises are in store. The Persona of a Grim Reaper, I can only imagine its power. Things should become very interesting, very interesting indeed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter III: The Fool's lineage**

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Afternoon**

Two ambulances came as a result of the 119 call, and soon thereafter the police arrived and blocked off the surrounding area of the collision with police tape. While the EMTs of one ambulance were working on prying the driver out of his car, the EMTs of the other ambulance were making preparations to rush Masahisa Oikawa to a hospital. Once on sight, the EMTs confirmed what Takuya had also confirmed beforehand. Masahisa had a faint, but noticeable pulse, if given quick and emergency treatment he would survive.

The EMTs pulled a stretcher out from their ambulance and moved Masahisa's body on top of it, and then they quickly got him into the ambulance. Then one of the EMTs rushed over to Takuya, who was now sitting on the sidewalk in a daze and giving the EMTs space to work on Masahisa. "You were with that boy when the accident occurred, yes?" the EMT asked Takuya.

Takuya silently nodded.

"Are you his immediate family?" the EMT asked.

Takuya shook his head. "Just friends."

The EMT nodded in understanding. "The police should have some questions for you as you were a witness to the events, but first can we ask you to ride with him? There are some questions we need you to answer."

"I…I just met him today, I don't know any of his medical information or anything," Takuya replied.

"That's fine, he was wearing a medical necklace underneath his clothes. It listed his blood type and medical allergies, but no next of kin or contact information was listed. Can you help us fill in those blanks?" the EMT asked.

Takuya nodded. "Sure, I'll tell you what I know." Then he followed the EMT back to the ambulance and got inside. Then within moments they were off to the nearest hospital. Takuya stared at Masahisa's bloodied face. His glasses were gone, probably destroyed in the collision. There were bruises all over his body from what Takuya could see. He was already hooked up to IVs and electrodes in the short time that he had been in the ambulance. The EMTs were giving him an emergency blood transfusion to replace the blood that he lost in the crash. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,' Takuya thought quietly.

The EMT Takuya had spoken to previously tapped Takuya on the shoulder, and Takuya turned to acknowledge him. "Sorry, but we need this information as soon as possible. Masahisa Oikawa, that was the name on his medical necklace. That name is correct, yes?"

Takuya nodded.

He picked up a clipboard and then jotted down the information. "You wouldn't happen to know his parents, would you?" the EMT asked.

Takuya sighed and shook his head. "He's from Europe, though he didn't tell me which part. And I never got his parent's first names. Sorry."

"That's okay, we'll track them down somehow. Could you tell me his current place of residence?" the EMT replied.

"We were both enrolling in Yousha Academy, we met on the plane ride over here and got to talking because of that fact. He didn't have any other family out here so he was planning to stay in the school dorms," Takuya explained.

"Okay, we'll get in contact with the school immediately. Can I also get your name?" the EMT asked.

"Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya replied.

"Okay, Takuya-kun, is there anyone we can contact for you as well?" the EMT asked.

"You can contact the school for me to. My grandfather's the headmaster, Hiroshi Miyazaki. He's my legal guardian at the present time," Takuya replied.

The EMT jotted down the last of the information and then patted Takuya on the back. "You're being really brave in all of this. Don't worry, we're going to save your friend."

Takuya nodded but failed to smile. He didn't want to get his hopes up. He knew the statistics of completely surviving a collision of that magnitude. At this point it would be a miracle if after this Masahisa would even walk again, and that was only if he ever woke up. His chances of survival were slim, even if the doctors could treat him in time. Takuya reached out to grab one of Masahisa's hands. "Don't worry, no matter what I'm not giving up on you. Please, please, you've got to hang on," Takuya whispered.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Evening**

Once Takuya arrived at the hospital he was immediately shuffled into a waiting room by one of the nurses waiting on the scene. Meanwhile, Masahisa was rushed to the emergency room to have his injuries treated. Takuya sat in the waiting room for hours in a daze of confusion, shock, and grief. During his seemingly endless waiting period, a nurse came to inform him that his grandfather had been contacted and that he was sending someone to pick him up soon. However, he received no news about Masahisa's condition. Takuya was worried that his friend might not make it through this ordeal. And the worst part of it all was that he was completely convinced it was all his fault.

'It's just like before. I did a stupid thing and someone else paid the price for it. Why? Why the fuck do I keep hesitating?!' Takuya began to shake and clench his fists. 'I knew…I knew what Chris was planning to do as soon as I saw that damn list, and I couldn't confront him about it. And if I had just gotten out of the road myself, Oikawa wouldn't have had to save me and he would still be…' Takuya hung his head in shame. "It's all my fault. Just like everyone said. Everything is all my fault," he whispered to himself.

" _Lies,_ " a calming masculine voice whispered to Takuya.

Takuya calmed down and sat back up in his seat. Then he looked around him to find the person who was talking to him. And then he saw it again, the mysterious butterfly with dazzling blue wings. It was perched on the top of one of the overhead fluorescent lights. From the very first time Takuya saw the butterfly he realized that it was not of this world. "What are you?" Takuya asked the butterfly.

" _My identity is unimportant, all that matters at the moment is thou, young child of man._ " The butterfly flew down from the fluorescent light and then flew in front of Takuya, who sat his right hand out in front of him and allowed the butterfly to perch on it. " _Great potential lies within thee. The potential to change the world, for better or for worse. If thou accepts thy power, thou will be able to accomplish extraordinary things. Through thy pain and heartache, thou hast learned that life can be a very cruel thing. Thou hast lost one friend amongst the savage sea of chaos and ruin. Thou blames thyself for not hearing thy friend's cries for help sooner, thou feels that thee could have done much more to save him from his tragic fate, and spare the innocents that befell the pain that surrounded him. And now it appears that thou shalt lose another friend, and once again thou blames thyself. Why? Why dost thou continue to blame thyself for the tragedies around thee?_ "

"Because it is my fault, if I had realized what was going on with Chris sooner I could've done something. I could've helped him, but I was too much of a coward to reach out to him. And Oikawa…if I didn't just act rashly and try to pursue that guy I would've seen that car, and Oikawa wouldn't have had to push me out of the way. He would still be okay; he wouldn't be in danger of…of…" Takuya clenched his other fist. "If he doesn't make it, I don't know what I'm going to do. I…I don't think I'll be able to go on."

" _I see, so thou wishes to take the easy path, because thou thinks it shall spare thee heartbreak and pain? But child of man, dost thou not know something so simple? While the easy path may spare thee pain, it shall only end in thy ruin. If thou so chooses to run away from the pain and agony of death, then the world shall be forever cast into imbalance and as a result mankind's journey will end completely with death,_ " the butterfly replied.

"So if I give up then the whole world loses? Everyone who dies will become stuck and won't be able to pass on?" Takuya asked.

" _A tragic fate indeed. Someone or something is continuing to distort the natural balance of life and death even as we speak, without thee, one who can defy their wish and restore order and balance to the world, each mortal soul that passes away shall be unable to move on and instead will be stuck in an endless loop for all eternity. As such, only thou who has experienced the tragedy of death first hand can obtain this power. The power of Persona._ "

"Persona?" Takuya repeated the word in mystery. He had heard that word before, spoken by Igor, but each time he heard it he couldn't help but feel empowered. "What is Persona?"

" _A Persona is one's true self, which can only be obtained through overcoming hardship and adversity. Everyone has a Persona buried deep down inside of them, but some people are able to manifest their Persona and give it a physical form, and obtain great power in doing so. Allow me to explain, deep within the hearts of mankind lurks two inner selves. First there is the Shadow of the heart, one's darkest desires manifested into a physical form. The Shadow is considered the opposite of the individual, it is a side of their self that they lock away either because they are ashamed of the emotions it represents or because they wish to deny said emotions and instead choose to live a lie. And secondly there is the Persona, which is in essence the individual's true form of heart. It is the embodiment of their heart and soul that can only be revealed by overcoming their Shadow's darkness and becoming the person that they were always meant to be,_ " the butterfly explained.

"So how do you get the Persona from this Shadow thing?" Takuya asked.

" _Many before thee, were also holders of the Fool arcana, the Wild Card. As their heroics have shown us, a Persona is born in many different ways._ " All of a sudden the room around Takuya and the butterfly began to morph and distort until it was unrecognizable. Takuya was floating in a black void, surrounded by rings upon rings of chains and gears.

"What the…?!" Takuya exclaimed.

" _Do not be alarmed, this is merely a space between our two worlds. We shall make use of it so we can converse better. Allow me to continue my explanation._ " The butterfly fluttered off of Takuya's hand and then flew into the middle of the void. Then it began to sprinkle blue colored dust off of its wings and the dust began to take the shape of a person. And then in a matter of moments the person suddenly became physical. It was almost like the person was really there, floating in front of Takuya. The person was a boy who had dark blue hair which was unkempt at the front, blue eyes and a light build, being slightly shorter than Takuya. His bangs also covered his right eye. The blue-haired boy wore the school uniform of a high school Takuya didn't recognize. A white dress shirt accented with a loose black bow tie, under an open black dress jacket that had an emblem on it that was shaped like a crooked black hourglass, and a pair of black shoes. He also wore a neck-strap mp3 player, a pair of clip-on earphones, a red armband with the initials _SEES_ written on in it that was worn on his left arm, and a belt with a holster that held a silver pistol in it.

"Who…who are you?" Takuya asked in confusion.

"…" the blue-haired boy didn't respond.

" _He is merely an allusion; he cannot answer thee. He is a former holder of the Wild Card, much like thyself. His journey was completed sometime ago, and since then he has abandoned his duty as a Persona user and as we speak holds an important task in protecting thy world. He is thy first lesson, the lesson of sacrifice. Observe._ " Then the boy pulled out his silver pistol and held it up to his head.

Takuya was shocked. "Hey! Wait, what are you doing?!"

The boy didn't respond and simply squeezed the trigger.

"What the hell is this?! Why are you making him kill himself?!" Takuya shouted at the butterfly.

" _Observe and all shall be revealed,_ " the butterfly replied.

The boy uttered something. "Per…so…na," and then he pushed down on the trigger all the way and fired the gun. The pistol's blast hit the boy's head but miraculously he didn't die, instead a blue glowing aura surrounded him and then something appeared behind him. It was a large android-like creature, with a mechanical body and a human head, whose face and hairstyle resembled that of the blue-haired boy. It also had a blue-white torso with a speaker in its center, a black face, white limbs, and it wore a red scarf to cover its neck. It also bore a large lyre on its back. It was a very odd sight indeed.

"What the fuck?!" Takuya exclaimed at the other-worldly sight.

And then the android creature began to speak. "Thou art I...And I am thou...From the sea of thy soul I cometh...I am Orpheus, master of strings."

"Orpheus?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"My other self," the boy suddenly began to speak. "The herald of Apollo, Greek god of light and music. I am him, and he is me. We are one being. Of one mind, of one body. The lesson to be learned from our tale is simple, sacrifice. In order to summon a Persona one must be aware of their own mortality, you must remember the inevitability of your own death and overcome it. Embrace death and you will be able to become your true self."

"But how?" Takuya replied.

" _He cannot answer thee,_ " the butterfly reminded Takuya. " _He is only an allusion of his former self, meant to serve as a guide to thee in thy coming quest. And now that purpose has been completed. Time for the next lesson,_ " the butterfly fluttered around the blue-haired boy and then suddenly the boy disappeared and another boy appeared in his place. This boy was slightly taller than Takuya, he had bowl shaped gray hair and a matching set of gray eyes. He too wore a high school uniform that Takuya was unfamiliar with. It was made up of a white dress shirt with the collar popped up, worn under an open black dress jacket which had the collar also popped up and a school emblem on it that looked like a three corner star, and a pair of black shoes. " _The previous holder of the Wild Card saved the world from a great Fall that would usher in eternal darkness and make all of mankind become hollow and empty. However, after succeeding in his endeavor his deeds remained unknown even by those closest to him. Needless to say, the world continued on never knowing that it was almost doomed to this great Fall. Two years later, another incident occurred in a small rural area. And another holder of the Wild Card was revealed. He and the others around him were able to overcome their inner hardships and learn to accept the parts of themselves that they tried so hard to keep hidden from the outside world. Thus the next lesson thou shalt learn is acceptance._ "

"Accept their hidden selves?" Takuya was confused at first but then it came to him. "You mean their Shadows?"

" _Yes, while being aware of thine own mortality can force out thy Persona, accepting thy Shadow can allow it to mature and evolve into a Persona as well. Observe,_ " the butterfly replied.

The gray-haired boy pulled out a pair of black-framed glasses from his pants' pocket and then put them on. Then suddenly the entire area began to get very foggy, so much so that Takuya could barely see anything. And then another figure appeared in the void. Takuya squinted through the fog and then saw that the other figure was in fact an exact replica of the gray-haired boy, only the replica had one minor difference, it had golden eyes. "The Shadow," Takuya said to himself.

The gray-haired boy stood face to face with his Shadow and then he began to speak. "You're me, the me I always hide deep down inside me, even from the others. You're my biggest fear. My fear of being alone. My friends, they're the most important people in my life. If I didn't have them, I don't know what I would do. I've never spoken to you before because there's never really been any need to, I know my friends are always by my side. And even though, we may be far apart from each other now. I will never forget them, they're always in my heart. So I'm never alone, and that means you're never alone too. But I have to admit even now, I still get lonely sometimes. Maybe I should pay them a visit soon, I bet they would appreciate that too."

The Shadow nodded in understanding, and then a blue aura surrounded it and it transformed into a blue card which the gray-haired boy promptly collected. The fog began to subside and then the gray-haired boy turned back to face Takuya. "Here it goes, Persona!" the gray-haired boy shouted and then raised the card above his head. It floated in the air and then suddenly it shattered into a million tiny pieces, and another creature appeared which then floated behind the gray-haired boy.

The creature had the appearance of a knight in futuristic armor. It wore an open black jacket with a red underside, similar to the one worn by the gray-haired boy. It also had a pair of yellow eyes and it carried an odd weapon that looked like a sword mixed with a lance. "I am thou, thou art I. The time has come. Open thy eyes and call forth what is within," said the Persona.

"Izanagi, one of the twin gods who were responsible for the creation of Japan. He is me, and I am him. Only through acceptance of one's inner self can one truly grow stronger. In order for your Persona to obtain true strength you must continue to evolve as a person. Accept the truth of life around you, do not let the fog block your path ahead. It is only by continuing to move forward in life that you can truly become who you are meant to be. Accept who you are inside, it will be the key to unlocking your true self," the gray-haired boy explained.

The blue butterfly fluttered around the gray-haired boy and then just like before the boy disappeared and a new boy took his place. This boy had wavy black hair and dark gray eyes that were covered by a pair of black-framed glasses. He was also wearing a school uniform that Takuya was unfamiliar with. It consisted of a buttoned up black blazer with red buttons and a school's emblem on the pocket, which was a depiction of a shield, a white turtleneck shirt that had two black chevrons on the collar, and a pair of black and red plaid trousers. " _The previous holder of the Wild Card became an unknowing participant in a game set up by a wicked god who felt that it was mankind's wish to surround itself with a fog of lies. He fought admirably with his fellow teammates to get rid of the fog that plagued their town and reveal the light of the truth to the world, and at the same time hunt down a killer who was using the power of Persona to cause chaos and mayhem all for the sake of his own amusement. It was truly a difficult dilemma to overcome, but none the less the power of the Wild Card allowed him to prevail. Now as for the next Wild Card holder, a tragic tale of woe follows him. He fell victim to a cruel society that abandoned him and left him with the label of a criminal. Rotten adults threatened to destroy the world and remake it in their own selfish and greedy image, leaving the Wild Card holder and others like him who fell victim to their cruelty broken beyond repair. In order to stop the adults' plans, they were forced to awaken their inner rebellious spirit and defy the rotten society's wishes as noble Tricksters. Thus, thy next lesson shalt be rebellion._ "

"A rebellious spirit, eh? Well what does that look like?" Takuya asked.

" _Observe,_ " the butterfly replied.

Suddenly the boy began to hold his head in pain. He dropped to his knees and began to sweat immensely. The pain he was experiencing must have been excruciating. And then a voice began to fill the empty silence. "I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I...Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"

Then the black-haired boy stopped cringing in pain and got up off the floor. He turned to face Takuya and revealed that he was now wearing a white bird-shaped mask with a black outline around his eyes. He grinned devilishly and then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come forth, Persona!" And then he ripped the mask off his face, and a blue aura enveloped him which soon turned into a raging blue fire. And after a few moments, the fire subsided and the black-haired boy's outfit changed. He was now wearing a black trench coat with a gray collared shirt, black trousers, brown Cuban heeled boots, and a pair of red gloves. And his right gloved hand was now covering his face.

A creature had appeared behind the black-haired boy. The creature was surrounded by a series of black chains, supposedly that was his Persona. It was mostly all red, save for its torso, heels, and wings which were a dark black. It wore an English puffy shirt collar, and a dark red jacket, making it seem almost gentlemanly in appearance. And its face was made up of a pair of glowing red eyes and a glowing red mouth. Its appearance would most appropriately be described with the term gentleman demon. "Arsene, the gentleman thief. He is me, and I am him," said the black-haired boy. "Society is filled with rotten people who believe that everyone else comes second to their desires. As long as their own greedy desires are fulfilled, nothing else matters. Not even the people that they have to step on and hurt to make those desires a reality. In order to defy the wickedness of society's ills, you must let loose the spirit of rebellion that dwells within you and become the person you were always meant to be. Unleash the rage that dwells within you and give rise to your Persona!" he shouted.

Then the blue butterfly fluttered around the black-haired boy and soon he disappeared as well. And then butterfly fluttered over to Takuya to continue their conversation. " _That boy found out that he was just a pawn in a rigged game as well. The malevolent force of desires created by mankind's foolishness manifested into a being who called himself a god, and this god pit the young boy against yet another holder of the Wild Card. He would play the role of the Trickster who would try to defy society's ills and prove that mankind is not as useless as the god thought them to be, while the other Wild Card holder would do everything in his power to stop the Trickster and drag mankind down into the depths of chaos and despair, proving that the god was right and that mankind was indeed hopeless. It was a rigged game from the beginning, but the Trickster persevered and continued to defy society even after the god proved that they are imbeciles who simply plague themselves with desire. I hope thy three predecessors have effectively taught thou about the true power that dwells with thee. The willingness to sacrifice one's own life, acceptance of one's true self, unleashing the rebellious spirt that dwells within. These are just a few of many ways to summon one's Persona. However, thou art even more special, young child of man. In order to become one with thy Persona, thou must be willing to go to extreme measures._ "

"What extreme measures?" Takuya asked.

" _Thy goal is to become one who can help guide lost souls to the afterlife. A being known by many names. An Angel of Death, a Shinigami, a Grim Reaper. These are beings that are neither light nor dark, neither good nor evil. They are purely neutral, representing order in the lawless world of humanity,_ " the butterfly explained.

"I met one of those lost souls already, and he seemed pretty convinced that Grim Reapers are just myths," Takuya replied.

" _This is false, the lost soul thou speaketh of only thinks this is so because he himself, like the others has not been saved. Long ago, a being was created by an unknown source. It was designed for the sole purpose of maintaining the order of life and death. It dwelled within the shadows created by mankind's hearts, and every time a child of man's life was at its completion, it would come and whisk them away to the afterlife where the soul could finally find peace. The souls of people both good and evil were taken to this place far beyond the reaches of mankind's world, and there they would remain in bliss for all eternity. Over the years, other people upon their deathbed have been tasked with helping this being in its job, and since then many Reapers have come into existence. The qualifications to become a Reaper are really quite simple. First of all, one must have had some abrupt contact with death in their life that forever shaped the way they view the world. Through the death of a loved one, or the experience of some tragic event, their lives were touched by death in some way. Secondly, they must be willing to make hard decisions, for it is these hard decisions that end up being the right choices to make in the end. Only serious individuals who consider all possible moves forward can deal with such a heavy burden, and the consequences of their actions in doing so. And lastly, they must be willing to put others above themselves. If saving mankind means sacrificing themselves, then they must do it. This is the creed the Reapers live by,_ " the butterfly explained.

"So if there were Reapers at one point in time, then where are they now?" Takuya asked.

" _Reapers are not immortal, young child of man. They can die just as easily as thee can, though they may have extraordinary powers, if they are confronted with overwhelming odds they can be easily dealt with. If someone were to go about killing the Reapers, this would be no problem if they possessed similar powers to them,_ " the butterfly explained.

"So someone's killed all the Reapers? And that's why none of those lost souls are able to pass on?" Takuya asked.

" _Someone or something, yes. Granted, this alone would be no problem at all. The original Reaper could simply find more people who represent the creed and then give them the power as well. However, it appears that even the original Reaper has disappeared. It is always there, if you wait long enough thee can hear it rattling its chains. Only now, thy world is completely silent. Where it has gone, even I do not know. It may be perhaps, that it has also fallen to the same fate as its fellow Reapers. Although it is impossible to say for sure. That is why thou must accept this mission that thou hast been tasked with. If not, this set balance of life and death that thy world has maintained for millennia will be destroyed and the dead will be forced to remain in thy living world for all eternity, reliving their pain and torment over and over again on an endless loop. Only though death will thy world find eternal peace, so thou must become the one who delivers death to mankind._ "

Takuya sighed. "That's really heavy, saying it's all on me like that."

" _A difficult task to be sure, but none the less rewarding. If thou shalt undertake this mission thee might truly learn to forgive thyself in the process and come to terms with thine own limitations. In order to save thy world, thou must kill thy former self. In order for the true person thou art meant to be to appear, in order for thy Persona to appear, thou must die._ "

"Die, what do you mean by that?" Takuya asked.

" _The time has come,_ " the butterfly ignored Takuya's question. " _Thou shalt know the meaning behind my and thy predecessors' words very soon. Thou wilt soon come into contact with the realm of the spirits. The answers to the questions thee seek shalt be there. When the time comes thou shalt know what thee must do. Thou shalt awaken to the power of a Reaper and the power of Persona as well. This shall be the last time we see each other for a while. Until then, I wish thee good luck, young child of man. I pray that thou wilt overcome all challenges thou art presented with. Farewell…_ " A blinding, white light surrounded Takuya.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Night**

Takuya opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself back in the hospital waiting room. He looked around the room to see if he could spot any sign of the blue butterfly. But it had simply disappeared. Grief and guilt was no longer at the center of his mind. What occupied his thoughts now was the conversation he had with the butterfly, and the lessons his Wild Card predecessors taught him. 'So those guys were like me, eh?' Takuya asked himself. 'They see all that weirdness as second nature, even if it wasn't really them I can tell that much. I don't think I'm anything like them in that regard.' He thought back to the feeling he got from seeing their Personas in action. 'Still though, that was really cool. Persona, eh? I wonder what mine will look like?'

"Excuse me, Miyazaki-kun?" a nurse called out to Takuya. She walked up to him and then began to explain her intentions. "Someone's come here to pick you up."

"Oh really? Which one of his goons did my grandfather send over?" Takuya asked.

"He didn't send anyone, I told him that I would come and collect you myself," a feminine voice responded. A girl wearing a school uniform suddenly appeared from behind the nurse. She had long black hair, porcelain skin, and beautiful green eyes. She also wore a silver oval-shaped locket around her neck and a brown hairband on top of her head. The girl folded her arms and looked at Takuya with contempt. She shook her head. "Congratulations, it's only your first day here and you've almost given grandfather a heart attack. I swear, you never think about how your actions will affect the others around you, do you?"

Takuya's eyes widened. "F-Fuyu? Is that…? Is that you?"

Fuyumi ignored him and then turned to the nurse. "Thank you for taking care of my cousin, I apologize if it was an inconvenience." Then she politely bowed.

"Oh no, he's been so quiet all this time. Really it's been no trouble at all. Now, I'll leave you two to chat," the nurse replied before walking away.

After the nurse was out of earshot Fuyumi turned her attention back to Takuya and without hesitation, she slapped him incredibly hard. Then she practically tackled him into a hug. "Idiot! Stupid, stupid idiot! How dare you scare grandfather and I like that?! Do you have any idea how sick with worry we were when we heard you were in the hospital?!" Fuyumi wrapped her arms around Takuya and then began to softly cry in his shoulder. "I thought…I thought you were really gone," she cried.

Takuya sighed and then wrapped his arms around his cousin in return. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never should've made you worry like that. It was a really stupid prank. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I'm so sorry for making you worry." Takuya gently rubbed his cousin's back in an effort to get her to calm down.

After a minute or two of crying into Takuya's shoulder, Fuyumi pulled away and then looked him in the eyes. She ran her hand through his hair. "What on Earth have you done to your hair? Do you honestly think that's appropriate for school?"

"Actually at my old school in LA, not having any dyed hair was considered abnormal," Takuya joked.

Fuyumi sighed. "It's fine, I guess. Just try to avoid the School Disciplinary Committee, they're real sticklers for school rules." Fuyumi tried to make small talk with Takuya to remove any remaining awkwardness between the two of them. But soon she decided to talk to Takuya about things relevant to the event at hand. "So listen, I talked to the doctors and they say that your friend is still in critical condition. The injuries he sustained were really severe, and they say it's been touch and go for hours now."

"Is there any chance that I can see him?" Takuya asked with a dour expression.

Fuyumi shook her head. "The doctors say his condition is really unstable at the moment, once they stabilize him they said you could come back and visit him. But they also told me that you shouldn't get your hopes up. Even if they manage to stabilize him there's a chance he could slip into a coma from the trauma of the crash."

Takuya looked down to the floor. "Oikawa," he whispered.

"I heard what happened, he got hit trying to push you out of traffic. You've probably already heard this a lot today but you need to hear it from me as well or else it might not sink in considering how thick your head is," Fuyumi replied. "It is not your fault. Oikawa-san did what he did because he wanted to save you, he wouldn't blame you for what happened to him so there's no reason you should blame yourself."

"…" Takuya was silent.

Annoyed with his silence, Fuyumi decided to slap him again. "Listen to me, idiot!"

"Ow!" Takuya yelped and held his cheek in recoil.

"Do you understand?" Fuyumi replied.

"Yes, yes, alright. Geez," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi sighed in exasperation. "I'm exhausted from just worrying about you all day and dealing with the aftermath from all of this. I can only imagine how tired you must be. Come on, let's go home for today. Grandfather's already had your room prepared so you can just relax and get some rest." Fuyumi turned to leave and then when she saw Takuya wasn't following her she turned back again. "I promise, as soon as he's able to have visitors, I'll come back here with you. But there's nothing more than can be done tonight. He wouldn't want you to worry so much about him."

"But, he doesn't have anyone. His parents shipped him here because they thought of him as an embarrassment for God sakes. I…I just don't feel right leaving him alone here," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi smiled. "I had forgotten how kind you could be. It really has been a long time." Then she sighed. "Please, I promise your friend will be well taken care of. For now, let's just go back to the school and rest. And as soon as we hear anything else, I'll take you back here to see him. Deal?"

Takuya sighed and then nodded. "Deal."

"Okay then follow me," Fuyumi let Takuya out of the waiting room and into the hospital's main hallway. Before following Fuyumi to the main exit, Takuya looked back to the opposite side of the hallway. That wing led to the ICU, where Masahisa was currently fighting for his life.

"Hang in there Oikawa, hang in there," Takuya said to himself before following after Fuyumi.

* * *

A/N: It appears that our young hero is learning more and more about the powers he holds as a holder of the Fool arcana. I wonder just what form the Wild Card shall take this time. Only time will tell.


	7. Chapter IV

A/N: A new school, a new life. What surprises will await our young hero now? Stay tuned to find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter IV: Fucking rumors and labels**

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Night**

Fuyumi had been driven to the hospital in a small limo by a chauffeur, who Takuya recognized as the same chauffeur who was supposed to pick him up from the airport. When Takuya came face to face with him, the chauffeur gave him a nasty scowl. The poor guy was probably stuck at the airport for hours, waiting on him. Takuya laughed awkwardly and then simply got into the limo without another word. The backseat area of the limo had two rows of seats, one at the very back and one back to back with the driver's seat. Fuyumi sat in the back row of seats and motioned for Takuya to come sit next to her. And then after that, the cousins endured a quiet and awkward ride to Yousha. Quiet, because they were both emotionally drained from the events of the day. Awkward, because they were both emotionally stressed teenagers who were sitting incredibly close to each other. It panged Takuya to even think about it, but Fuyumi smelled incredibly sweet. Sort of like strawberries.

'Ugh, gross! What the fuck am I getting so flustered for?! She's my cousin!' Takuya inwardly exclaimed and shook those thoughts out of his head. He had to do something to break this overwhelming awkwardness.

"So…umm, I sent you lots of texts over the past couple of months. Did you get them?" Takuya asked.

"Oh, umm…!" Fuyumi was surprised that Takuya suddenly spoke up after being silent for so long. Then when she collected her thoughts she nodded and replied, "Yes, yes I got them. At first it was really odd, I hadn't heard a single word from you in years and then out of the blue you text me and say that you're coming back to live in Tokyo."

Takuya could sense the slightly annoyed tone in his cousin's voice. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. My mom and dad went kind of nuts with the move. They told me I couldn't call or even write to you. I don't really know why, every time I mentioned grandfather, or auntie and uncle, or you, they just got really upset. I was actually hoping that grandfather could explain to me what was going on."

"So you really don't know anything, huh?" Fuyumi sounded dissatisfied with that answer. She sighed and then replied, "To be honest, it was the same for me too. My mother and father, told me the day after you moved away that I should just forget about you. I knew your address, grandfather told me it, but for the longest time my parents made sure that I could never contact you, or your parents."

"Auntie and uncle did that?" Takuya sounded really surprised.

"They even had me convinced that your parents specifically told us not to contact them. Like you and them wanted nothing more to do with us. But I guess that was just a half-truth, huh?" Fuyumi replied. "It looks like both our parents wanted nothing to do with each other. We were pulled into a family feud and didn't even realize it."

"I heard from grandfather about your situation. Auntie and uncle passed away, eh?" Takuya asked.

"A little over two years ago," Fuyumi replied. "They died without telling me what they were so angry with your parents about. To this day, even grandfather won't tell me."

"Mom and dad were really against me coming here, but I got the sense that my dad was a little more upset with grandfather then he was with your dad. Probably because he knew they had already passed away and neglected to tell me," Takuya explained.

Fuyumi lightly chuckled. "To be honest, I was really mad at you for all these years for just uprooting yourself out of my life the way you did. I guess in my anger I neglected to consider the possibility that you were just being pulled along by your parents as well."

"So that's why you haven't been answering my texts?" Takuya asked.

Fuyumi sighed and then blushed in embarrassment. "It was childish of me; I realize that now. I was just really hurt when my best friend suddenly moved away."

Takuya nodded and then grasped hold of Fuyumi's hand. "I understand. Remember, I lost my best friend too."

Fuyumi smiled at Takuya and then she released her hand from his grasp. "Why don't we start fresh from here on out? It's just the two of us and grandfather now, so there's no reason that things can't go back to the way they used to be, right?"

"Well back then, you were all tomboyish and cute, always forcing me to drag you along wherever I went. And now, well…you look like one of those strict student council president types. You know, the ones that act like fun is an enemy?" Takuya joked.

Fuyumi swiftly sucker-punched Takuya in his gut, making him yelp in pain. "For your information, idiot! I'm the vice-president of the student council! And I do so know how to have fun!" She huffed and then decided to look out the window and ignore Takuya.

However, Takuya would not be deterred. "Oh yeah, name one friend that you've made since I moved away?"

"…" Fuyumi went silent and her face grew pale.

"That's what I thought, you went from a happy-go-lucky tomboy to the awkward cold-hearted vice prez. God if you had an imaginary friend, you would be a dead ringer for a certain anime heroine who was also bad at making friends," Takuya chuckled.

Then Fuyumi punched Takuya in his jaw. "Shut up, you damn idiot!" For the rest of the ride to Yousha, Takuya decided to take his cousin's advice and stay quiet. He just spent the remaining time rubbing his jaw to relieve the pain.

'Damn, she has one mean sucker punch,' Takuya thought to himself.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night**

A short while later, the cousins arrived at Yousha Academy. Takuya took in the site of the school from inside the limo. It was a beautiful campus, lush with trees and many different flora and fauna. Yousha's campus was surrounded by a large, black iron spiked fence, connected to a large, black iron spiked gate. A gilded sign was bolted down on the fence section to the right of the gate, the sign read: _容赦学園_ (Yousha Academy). Near the gate's base, there was a small security guard outpost. And seeing the cousins' arrival, the security guard in said outpost got to work in opening the gate. Behind the gate, Takuya could make out several large brick laid buildings. It looked like there were four large brick buildings in all, and there were also several smaller buildings spread around the campus. Yousha Academy was definitely impressive-looking. But the sight of the spiked fence around it made it almost seem like it was a prison, which was kind of appropriate considering that a lot of Yousha's students were delinquents.

"So this is it, eh?" Takuya said aloud.

"It certainly looks intimidating, doesn't it?" Fuyumi replied. "But with you being the transfer student here you're probably more intimidated about the rumors, am I right?"

Takuya gulped. "Are they true? Do you really have students with criminal records here?"

"A few sure, but there's also a lot of students who dropped out of traditional schools for academic reasons, and a lot of orphans too. You of all people should know how insistent grandfather was about giving people second chances. Yousha is his gift to the world. It's a place for students of all ages who have been left with no other options, it gives them the support they need to truly make something of their lives. Grandfather spares no expense on academics, the arts, and comfort. Each student here is treated with great care. Think of it like a college, a boarding school, and an orphanage all rolled into one," Fuyumi explained.

"He really loves this place alright, I guess it's no wonder he decided to move in after me and my family left," Takuya added. "So how is it for you, living here I mean?" Takuya asked his cousin.

"It was an adjustment at first alright, it definitely took some time to get used to sharing a bathroom with other girls. But it's actually pretty fun living with people your own age," Fuyumi replied.

"How about your roommate? Are you and her pretty tight?" Takuya asked.

Fuyumi sighed. "I actually don't have one. When I first started school here, grandfather pulled some strings for me to get my own room. Which was sad because I actually really wanted one."

Takuya chuckled. "Yeah, I bet you would've had at least one friend then." He was quickly silenced with a brutal punch to the gut from Fuyumi.

"Come on, we walk from here," Fuyumi replied as she got out of the limo from her end. Takuya got out of the limo from his end and followed Fuyumi to the trunk of the limo. She opened the trunk and retrieved Takuya's luggage. "The police recovered your things from the diner you were at and brought them to the hospital. Here, you carry them." She threw the luggage at Takuya and left him to collect them after they had fallen to the ground. Then she walked up to the now open gate and proceeded into the campus. She turned back to look at Takuya. "Well come on, I haven't got all night." Takuya sighed in exasperation. Then he collected his luggage and followed after his cousin as she led him to the boys' dorm building.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night**

Takuya huffed and puffed as he proceeded to walk up the last flight of stairs that separated him from his dorm room. The boy's dorm was apparently a five story building that was divided as follows: elementary schoolers (grades 1-6) on the first floor, junior high schoolers (grades 7-9) on the second floor, first year high schoolers (grade 10) on the third floor, second year high schoolers (grade 11) on the fourth floor, and finally third year high schoolers (grade 12) on the fifth floor. That meant Takuya's destination was the fourth floor, and since there were no elevators in the building he was forced to climb up four flights of steep stairs, while carrying the added weight of his luggage. Fuyumi was already on the fourth floor, she smiled and waved at him. "Come on slowpoke. What's the hold up?"

"Shut up, you're used to this endless climbing, I'm not," Takuya replied.

"Actually the girl's dorm has an elevator, and I don't come to the boys' dorm, so I'm not used to climbing steep stairs like these. So going by that logic, I'm just more physically fit than you are. I thought all California boys were supposed to be in shape, you lived on the coast line so I'd figured you'd be out surfing and stuff on the weekends," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya raced up the stairs and then continued him and his cousin's conversation on equal ground. "Actually, I like to spend my weekends in my room unwinding with a good video game," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi sighed. "Of course that would be how you spend your weekends. Well unfortunately you're not going to be doing that tomorrow. You have a lot of business to attend to since you came so late today."

Takuya groaned. "I know I have to meet with grandfather, and unpack my room, but what the hell else do I have to do?"

"The grand tour, for one thing. I volunteered to be your personal tour guide to the delights of Yousha Academy," Fuyumi replied giddily.

"Pass," Takuya simply brushed her off.

"Hey, show some kindness to your dear cousin. I'm sacrificing my precious Sunday to spend even more time than I have to with you of all people," Fuyumi replied. "And grandfather insisted, so you have no right to refuse."

Takuya groaned again. "Fine, whatever. Now which one's my room? If I have to deal with this BS, I wanna crash immediately."

"This way please," Fuyumi guided Takuya until they reached a room at the very end of hall. Room 453. "This is you, it's a single just like mine. So unfortunately no roommate for you," Fuyumi explained playfully. "Now we're in the same boat."

"You're forgetting one thing; I actually know how to make friends. I guarantee I'll have made another friend by the end of next week," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi scowled. "Care to put a wager on that?"

Takuya scoffed. "Bring it on. How's the same bet when we were kids sound?"

Fuyumi grinned wickedly. "Oh you are so on. Prepare to lose."

"Dream on," Takuya replied with an equally wicked grin.

And then the two bickering cousins were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. They turned to see that the occupant of room 451, to the left of Takuya's room, was the guilty party. A boy peered his head outside the door. He had short, messy and unkempt black hair, sharp facial features, and a pair of bright violet colored eyes. He had a lean build and appeared to be of average height for a second year. He gave the cousins a once over. "You guys do know the walls in this place are paper thin, right?"

Fuyumi seemed embarrassed. "We're sorry to disturb you, I was just showing him to his dorm room," she explained.

The boy nodded in understanding. "It's no big deal, I wasn't sleeping or anything." Then he smirked. "But more importantly, why are you of all people, VP Miyazaki, showing this guy to his room? Surely there are other guys on the student council to take care of male transfer students, right? And bringing him to his room this late at night too? Are girls even allowed at the boys' dorm at this time of night?" His smirk grew. "This situation seems really scandalous."

"For your information, Yanasai-san, he's my cousin. I thought a familiar face would be a better welcoming for him, so I'm showing him around myself," Fuyumi folded her arms and replied coolly.

"Cousins, eh? Wouldn't have guessed it from the way you guys were flirting with each other," the boy replied.

"W-We were not flirting," Fuyumi replied in an embarrassed tone.

"It sounded that way to me," the boy replied in a playful tone. Then he chuckled and looked to Takuya. "Anyways, where are my manners? Name's Ryuta Yanasai, and it looks like you're my new neighbor." He stretched out his hand and Takuya accepted it and shook it.

"Takuya Miyazaki, nice to meet you," Takuya replied.

"Takuya, eh? So are you an unbearable stick in the mud like your cousin over there?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya chuckled. "Not even close. To tell you the truth she wasn't always the enemy of fun, I could tell you some stories about our youth that…"

"As stimulating as this conversation is, you have to get to bed right away. Don't you, cousin dear?" Fuyumi gripped Takuya's arm hard, almost crushing it in the process.

Takuya cringed in pain. "Yep, I've got to hit the hay. Sorry, can't talk right now."

Ryuta chuckled again, "Man she has got you whipped. Well, I guess I better get some sleep too. See you later, neighbor." Then Ryuta closed his door and left the cousins to themselves.

"Embarrass me much?" Takuya replied. "Are you really trying to cheat on our bet? I was just getting on his good side."

Fuyumi gave him a concerned look, and then started to quietly whisper to him. "That's just it. I'm not against you making friends here…just, not with him."

Takuya was confused. "Why not him? What's so bad about Yanasai?"

"You remember how I told you that some of those online rumors about us having students with criminal records are true? Well he's one of the primary causes of those rumors," Fuyumi explained in a whisper.

Takuya's eyes widened. "What?"

"He was never officially charged with anything, but it's on his record. And when he started here, somehow that information got leaked. Everybody knows about it but nobody really says anything out of fear. I know he doesn't appear like it but he's very dangerous. I…I just don't want you getting involved with a person like that. Not after what happened to you in LA. People talk, isn't that why you left?" Fuyumi asked.

Takuya couldn't wrap his head around it. "That smiling, jokey guy has a criminal record?"

"Looks can be deceiving. Please, just promise me you won't get any more involved with him than you have to," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya sighed and then he nodded. "Okay, I won't get involved with him."

"Thank you," she replied and then she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a key and handed it to Takuya. "Here's your room key. Get some rest, you've had a long day." Then Fuyumi hugged Takuya and walked back down the hall and down the stairs, heading back to her dorm room.

Takuya inserted his key into his door and then opened the door. But before going into his room, he gave one final glance to room 451. 'Ryuta Yanasai, eh? Could it really be true?' And then he walked into his dorm room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night**

Meanwhile, in room 451. Instead of going to sleep like he told the Miyazaki cousins he was going to do, Ryuta was crouched down on the floor with his back to his door. He looked really depressed. "Telling him right off the bat, eh? Guess she's just playing the protective cousin. Can't really blame her." Then he sighed. "It still hurts to hear it out loud though dammit. I thought I told her the walls in this place were paper thin." Then he placed his head in between his knees and tried to collect his thoughts and cool his head.

"Natsu…" he whispered to himself.

* * *

 **Saturday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night**

Takuya's room was small and simple. The walls were beige in color and the floor had dark blue carpeting. He had a single sized bed set aside for him in the corner, his mattress, sheets, and pillows were already set. Takuya thought it must have been Fuyumi's work. And next to his bed he had a small cabinet, and next to that was a large desk. Over on the other side of his room was a closet which housed most of his things that were shipped from LA, still in their packaging. And across from the closet there was a small window which was covered by a curtain that matched the carpet in color. Takuya sighed. "So this is home for the time being, eh?" Takuya set down his luggage next to the door and then kicked off his shoes and dropped his hoodie on the floor. Then he rummaged through his luggage and retrieved his headphones, and after that he retired to his bed.

As Takuya laid back on his bed he began to think about everything he had experienced today, and then he thought about everything that Igor, Shinichi, and the butterfly had told him.

 **Flashback (Igor):**

 _Igor chuckled again. "No, it's not. The Velvet Room takes the shape of the cognition of the guest's heart. You wish to be free of this pain, you want your hands be clean of the blood. You wish to fly high away from your troubles, however the guilt keeps you stationary and as a result we are stranded here hovering above an ocean of blood. It is definitely one of the most peculiar distortions I have ever seen, but definitely in the Velvet Room's realm of normality. The plane will not move again, until you either accept responsibility and atone or run away and drown in the victim's blood. The choice is entirely yours, as I have said before. I may be the pilot of this plane, but you the passenger decide where we go."_

 **Flashback (Shinichi):**

 _Shinichi shook his head. "Too be honest, I don't really know what she was. I've seen a few people like her from time to time, begging for help that never comes. It happens right before they die and turn into ghosts for real. I think it's some kind of warning, like an omen of death. If that's the case with this girl too then she is definitely going to die. It's only just a matter of time. She's going to die, nothing we can do about it."_

 _"What do you mean there's nothing we can do about it?" Takuya asked._

 _"You can't stop death, it's inevitable. That girl is going to get murdered and there's nothing we can do to stop it. It's best just to move on and forget all this ever happened," Shinichi replied._

 _"Bull crap!" Takuya exclaimed. "You're telling me there's nothing we can do?! No, I do not accept that! Help me find her! We can stop this before it begins!"_

 _"It would be a waste of time. We may never find her, and even if we do there's no telling when it will happen or who will do her in. Let come what may, it has nothing to do with us," Shinichi simply replied. Then he sighed. "It was obviously a mistake to come and talk to you. This will be the last time we see each other again, good luck…with whatever you choose to do with this information." Then Shinichi began to walk out of the restroom._

 **Flashback (Butterfly):**

" _This is false, the lost soul thou speaketh of only thinks this is so because he himself, like the others has not been saved. Long ago, a being was created by an unknown source. It was designed for the sole purpose of maintaining the order of life and death. It dwelled within the shadows created by mankind's hearts, and every time a child of man's life was at its completion, it would come and whisk them away to the afterlife where the soul could finally find peace. The souls of people both good and evil were taken to this place far beyond the reaches of mankind's world, and there they would remain in bliss for all eternity. Over the years, other people upon their deathbed have been tasked with helping this being in its job, and since then many Reapers have come into existence. The qualifications to become a Reaper are really quite simple. First of all, one must have had some abrupt contact with death in their life that forever shaped the way they view the world. Through the death of a loved one, or the experience of some tragic event, their lives were touched by death in some way. Secondly, they must be willing to make hard decisions, for it is these hard decisions that end up being the right choices to make in the end. Only serious individuals who consider all possible moves forward can deal with such a heavy burden, and the consequences of their actions in doing so. And lastly, they must be willing to put others above themselves. If saving mankind means sacrificing themselves, then they must do it. This is the creed the Reapers live by,_ " the butterfly explained.

 _"So if there were Reapers at one point in time, then where are they now?" Takuya asked._

" _Reapers are not immortal, young child of man. They can die just as easily as you can, though they may have extraordinary powers, if they are confronted with overwhelming odds they can be easily dealt with. If someone were to go about killing the Reapers, this would be no problem if they possessed similar powers to them,_ " the butterfly explained.

 _"So someone's killed all the Reapers? And that's why none of those lost souls are able to pass on?" Takuya asked._

" _Someone or something, yes. Granted, this alone would be no problem at all. The original Reaper could simply find more people who represent the creed and then give them the power as well. However, it appears that even the original Reaper has disappeared. It is always there, if you wait long enough thee can hear it rattling its chains. Only now, thy world is completely silent. Where it has gone, even I do not know. It may be perhaps, that it has also fallen to the same fate as its fellow Reapers. Although it is impossible to say for sure. That is why thou must accept this mission that thou hast been tasked with. If not, this set balance of life and death that thy world has maintained for millennia will be destroyed and the dead will be forced to remain in thy living world for all eternity, reliving their pain and torment over and over again on an endless loop. Only though death will thy world find eternal peace, so thou must become the one who delivers death to mankind._ "

 _Takuya sighed. "That's really heavy, saying it's all on me like that."_

" _A difficult task to be sure, but none the less rewarding. If thou shalt undertake this mission thee might truly learn to forgive thyself in the process and come to terms with thine own limitations. In order to save thy world, thou must kill thy former self. In order for the true person thou art meant to be to appear, in order for thy Persona to appear, thou must die._ "

 _"Die, what do you mean by that?" Takuya asked._

" _The time has come,_ " the butterfly ignored Takuya's question. " _Thou shalt know the meaning behind my and thy predecessors' words very soon. Thou wilt soon come into contact with the realm of the spirits. The answers to the questions thee seek shalt be there. When the time comes thou shalt know what thee must do. Thou shalt awaken to the power of a Reaper and the power of Persona as well. This shall be the last time we see each other for a while. Until then, I wish thee good luck, young child of man. I pray that thou wilt overcome all challenges thou art presented with. Farewell…_ "

"My destiny?" Takuya said to himself. "Grim Reapers, Personas, ghosts." He sighed. "God, if I didn't know it was actually true, I would say I was going crazy. But there's no other way to explain all this weird stuff that's going on." Takuya pulled his phone out of his pants' pocket and then opened the browser. his search item: _Recent accidents and tragedies_.

Throughout the years it was apparent that the world was becoming a more and more dangerous and unstable place with each passing day. Terrorist attacks, hate crimes, machinery and transportation accidents. You name it. Death was a common occurrence in the world. However, for the last year and a half things seemed to be getting more and more worse. It seemed like every day there was a subway, tram, or monorail accident in some city in the world. In Tokyo alone, there had so far been a death toll of a couple hundred-thousand just from transportation accidents. And terrorist attacks were getting more and more frequent, but all of the incidents for the last year and half have only had one suspected group as the perpetrators. They sprung up about three years ago, at first they appeared to be a simple cult that was just attracting a few followers at a time. But their beliefs weren't that questionable or strange so people mostly ignored them and left them be. But soon thereafter their number of followers kept growing and growing until they established a chapter of their faith in most of the major cities around the world. They called themselves, Light of the Heart. And it appeared that they had been responsible for several bombings of different places of worship around the world. Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, even a few Shinto shrines here in Japan. However, each time a bombing took place it appeared that all physical evidence that connected Light of the Heart to the crime would suddenly disappear. So far only a handful of individuals had been arrested for the crimes, and those individuals refused to give up anybody else in Light of the Heart. So far the police organizations of the world had not even been able to identify Light of the Heart's leader, who had done a good job at remaining anonymous so far.

One thing was for sure though, Light of the Heart was definitely shady. But still, since they were a practicing faith the police couldn't just swoop in and arrest each member of the cult without probable cause so you could typically see at least one recruiter out in a city on any given day. And it was no surprise that their member count has continued to grow. "What Igor said about spirits wreaking havoc? Could Light of the Heart have something to do with that as well?" Takuya sighed. "Someone or something has killed all the Reapers, and because of that the dead aren't able to pass on. It sounds ridiculous but, how else do you explain him?" Takuya thought of Shinichi. "He knows something more about all this, I know he does. I have to find him somehow."

Then Takuya sighed again and searched up something else on his phone. His search item was: _School shootings LA high schools_. The first item to come up was a newspaper article that mentioned Takuya's old school, Eckhart Preparatory school. The article mentioned a school shooting that took place at Eckhart last year in December. Fourteen students were murdered, and six were grave injured. Included in the death count was the perpetrator behind the gruesome tragedy, Christopher DeBlanc, a young honors student. According to police, DeBlanc had been planning the tragedy for months, buying several illegal and non-registered firearms and stockpiling them, and creating a hit list of students. Most of the students killed were on the list. Apparently his plan was to kill them and then commit suicide before the police could respond. Takuya scrolled through the article until he found a picture of him. The article mentioned that DeBlanc's friend, a young Japanese exchange student named Takuya Miyazaki, was absent from school the day of the shooting. Police confirmed that he did not know about the intended shooting or the declining mental state of his friend but they have assured the worrying public that they will continue to monitor him in the near future. Takuya harshly gripped his phone.

He thought about the aftermath surrounding that horrible day, having only heard that Chris and several of his classmates passed away when the police came to pick him up for his questioning. They questioned him for hours on end, and after that they continued to question him for several weeks. Takuya was sure they were convinced that he had nothing to do with Chris' actions and were mainly just repeatedly questioning him in response to public action. But not one of the detectives he talked to would ever give him the benefit of the doubt despite that fact, and he had to repeatedly explain why he was absent that day and that he had no idea what Chris was planning to do. They treated him like he was a common criminal, even though he had never gotten into trouble in his life before. They just wanted someone to blame since Chris was dead, Takuya was smart enough to understand that much. Eventually, his parents filed a lawsuit against the police department for continuous harassment and they won. And after that the police stopped randomly picking him up for questioning. It was only a momentary reprieve though. After that the outraged public started to take things in its own hands. Takuya was repeatedly harassed at school by other students, some of whom were even once good acquaintances of his. His locker and desk were repeatedly vandalized, and became the target of vicious bullying. But unfortunately, it didn't end when he got home.

People would repeatedly egg and vandalize his house, mail death threats to him, he even started to be the target of cyber bullying campaigns which told him that he should kill himself. It didn't just end with him either, his parents even started to receive blame for raising a "murderer". People they had known for years began to treat them differently or even flat out avoid them, there was even talk that his dad was being pressured to quit his job and relocate. So eventually Takuya realized that the only way he could stop this mess from affecting his parents was if he himself moved away, so he took a leave from school and started making preparations for moving back to Tokyo. His parents were reluctant at first but with a lot of coaxing they soon understood his decision and allowed him to do what he thought was best. He might've been seen by others as a coward for just running away from his problems, as a matter of fact he was sure that's what they were saying about him on social media, but he didn't know for sure as he had since then sworn off of social media. But he didn't really feel like he had a choice in the matter, no matter what he said or did people would always think of him as Chris' coconspirator, as a murderer. It was just as simple as that. In preceding months, he had truly learned firsthand how cruel people could be.

Takuya sat up on his bed for a brief moment and then stared at the wall separating his room from Ryuta's. "I wonder if he's in the same boat as me," Takuya said to himself. Then he sighed. "If so, I feel really bad for the guy. Fucking rumors and labels." After that he plugged his headphones into his phone and then placed them over his ears. Then he went to his music selection and began to play his playlist. Takuya had found it increasingly hard for him to fall asleep in the past few months so it had become a ritual for him to listen to his music and then fall asleep with his headphones on. He closed his eyes as the first song began to play. _Help_ by Papa Roach.

" _I think I need help. I'm drowning in myself._ "

" _Did someone turn the lights out?_ "

" _Or is it just another dark cloud in my head?_ "

" _Cause I'm cut deep, my heart won't beat._ "

" _Deep down low it's killing me._ "

" _If I wanna scratch out yesterday._ "

" _I've got so much I need to say._ "

" _(I've got so much I need to say)._ "

" _They're preying on my weakness._ "

" _Believe it._ "

" _I'm thinking to myself, no not again._ "

" _And I won't keep listening when temptation's creeping in._ "

" _If I wanna make it another day._ "

" _I've got so much I need to say._ "

" _(I've got so much I need to say)._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _Cause I'm drowning in myself._ "

" _It's sinking in._ "

" _I can't pretend that I ain't been through hell._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _I'm drowning in myself._ "

" _(I'm drowning in myself)._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _Cause I put myself through hell._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _Cause I'm drowning in myself._ "

" _It's sinking in._ "

" _I can't pretend that I ain't been through hell._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

" _I think I need help._ "

As the song faded out Takuya began to silently cry into his pillow.

* * *

A/N: As I have stated before, our hero's past is indeed a tragic one. Accused of being a mastermind to a horrible tragedy all because he chose the wrong friend. It is clear that he feels great guilt from all of this. And what of this new boy we have come across, will his fate intertwine with that of our hero's? Stay tuned to find out.


	8. Chapter V

A/N: A new day dawns for our young hero. What new experiences will await him today? Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter V: It isn't even 7:00 yet and I'm already surrounded by Yousha weirdoes**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Morning**

Takuya was woken by the sound of his cellphone's alarm. He groggily opened his eyes and then sat up on his bed. He yawned and stretched his arms out. He had fallen asleep with his headphones on, but due to his phone's playlist's setup it stopped automatically playing music after five songs or so in order to save battery life. A little pop-up notification was displayed on his phone. _Are you still listening to music_?

He closed the pop-up notification and then checked the time on his phone. It was 6:00 on the dot. Takuya had fallen asleep in his clothes, which meant that it was the second night he had slept in them. He pulled back the collar of his shirt and took a whiff of his body odor to see what the damage was. He cringed in response to the overbearing stench. "Ugh, I reek. That's right, I didn't get a chance to take a shower yesterday." Then he looked to his phone again and checked if he had gotten any messages in the middle of the night. He did in fact receive one message from Fuyumi about an hour ago. She texted: _I'll be coming to pick you up in front of your dorm for your tour of the school at 7:00 sharp. Remember, sense we're spending the day on campus you have to wear your uniform. If you're not ready by then you'll be sorry._ Takuya sighed. "She can even make a text sound intense." Takuya got up from his bed and then began to get ready for the day. He rummaged through the luggage he brought with him on the plane and pulled out a vacuum-pressed bag which contained his Yousha Academy school uniform. He had received it from his grandfather about two months ago when the preparations were made for him to attend Yousha, but he had only tried it on once since then to make sure that it fit.

Takuya opened the bag and then pulled out all the pieces of his uniform. It consisted of a blue coat jacket, a white undershirt, a red dress tie, a pair of black pants, a pair of black socks, and a pair of black dress shoes. Though the most notable feature of the Yousha Academy uniform was the school's emblem, a praying angel, which could be found on the uniform jacket/blazer and again on the undershirt. It was supposedly supposed to symbolize Yousha Academy's belief in second chances, but Takuya just thought of it as gaudy. However, upon examining the jacket's emblem closer he realized that he had seen it somewhere quite recently.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _With much hesitation he reached for the stall's handle and pulled it open, but his hesitation could not prepare him for the sight he saw. A girl with long, orangeish-brown hair, who wore a ladybug shaped barrette. She was wearing a school uniform, a very prestigious one by the looks of it. The blazer had an emblem on it that depicted an angel. Her skin was pale blue, and her eyes were bloodshot. She was gasping for breath, and it was easy to see the reason why. She was strung up with a noose tied to a non-existent ceiling._

* * *

Takuya's eyes widened. "No way. This is the same uniform that girl was wearing. She goes to Yousha!" This was a huge start; he finally knew where he could find the girl. All he needed was her name and then he might be able to save her. "This is great. This is great. I can stop this, I can stop it before it begins," he said with a giddy smile. And then the reality of the situation sunk into him. His smile turned into a frown and he sat back down on the bed. "But how do I save her? I don't even know when she's going to die." Then he sighed and laid back down on his bed, with his uniform jacket clenched tightly in his fist. "Maybe that guy was right, maybe there really is nothing we can do."

"So you finally understand, eh?" someone asked Takuya out of the blue.

Takuya's eyes widened and he immediately sat up on his bed. And he saw standing right in front of his door was a familiar sandy-brown haired, trench coat wearing boy. Shinichi. "You again? How did you find me?"

"I told you before, right? I don't know how, but I can sense you for some reason. So it was just a matter of time before I found this place. It's a boarding school, right?" Shinichi came further into the room and then made his way to the window. "It's nicer than I was expecting."

"How long have you been here?" Takuya asked.

"You mean your room? Or your school?" Shinichi asked. "Because I literally just found your room about a minute ago."

"School," Takuya clarified.

"Not long. I wandered around a little bit before coming to talk to you again." He sighed and then opened up the window curtain and looked out to the school campus below. "It's a pretty nice place. Nice scenery, homey vibe, and everyone here seems really at peace." Shinichi turned back to face Takuya. "You're a transfer student here, right?"

Takuya nodded. "That's right."

"Must be nice, getting to go to a school like this," Shinichi replied.

He was confused as to why Shinichi was asking him all these questions. "Stop beating around the bush. What do you want from me?"

Shinichi sighed. "You really like getting straight to the point, eh? Okay then, here it goes. I felt bad about the way we left things yesterday. And then there was that whole thing with that guy getting run over."

"…" Takuya stayed silent.

"Is that guy okay by the way?" Shinichi asked out of concern.

"The doctors are doing everything they can to stabilize him, he's really lucky all things considering. If he wasn't as strong as he was he probably would've been a goner for sure," Takuya explained.

Shinichi frowned. "I was right there, if I wanted to I could've helped you and him get out of there. Then neither one of you would be in the hospital. But instead, I chose to just disappear and avoid you all together…" Then Shinichi suddenly disappeared into thin air.

Takuya was surprised at the sudden act. "What the fuck?! Where did you go?!"

"Nowhere," he heard Shinichi call out to him. And then he suddenly reappeared again. "I'm still new to this whole ghost thing, but apparently I have a lot of abilities. As you know I can phase through solid objects, and I just learned quite recently that I can also turn invisible when I want to. Most people can't see me normally so it's not really that big of a deal, since I'm basically already invisible. If I were to guess I'd say it's just for hiding from special people like you, and maybe other ghosts. So just so you know yesterday, I didn't disappear. I was right there the whole time, I watched the whole thing."

It was all finally sinking in for Takuya. "This is unreal, I'm talking to an honest to God, ghost," Takuya replied.

"This is even more unreal for me; do you know how many of us are out there in Tokyo alone? We literally litter the streets, and no one ever notices us. You're the first person I've met who can even see me, much less see those omens we were discussing earlier," Shinichi explained.

"Omens?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"You know, the girl in the restroom? That's what I've decided to call them. Warnings of impending death," Shinichi explained.

Takuya sighed. "But I guess she's not the reason you came here, is she? You came here to apologize, right?"

Shinichi nodded and then he bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't left you high and dry when I did you wouldn't have chased after me and wound up in traffic, and your friend would still be…!"

"It's not your fault," Takuya replied, making Shinichi raise his head in surprise. "And it's not my fault either, it was an accident. A tragic accident sure, but an accident none the less. Trust me, Oikawa wouldn't want us beating ourselves up over it." Then Takuya sighed. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you for saying what you did back at the diner. How could you say something so heartless? Don't you give a damn if that girl lives or dies?"

Shinichi frowned and looked back down at the ground. "It's not like I don't care; it's just I've seen so much horrible shit like that, I think I've grown numb to it is all. I see at least three a day, omens I mean. Sometimes it's even more. They're not all murders, some are accidents, some are suicides. But it's always the same, you watch them die and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Why do you keep saying that? Surely there's something you can do to stop all those innocent people from dying?" Takuya replied.

"You honestly don't think I've tried to save any of them? When I said it's meaningless I meant it, every time I tried to save someone they just ended up dying in a different way. There's no stopping it," Shinichi replied. "It's almost like the universe is saying that those people have no choice but to die."

"I can't accept that as the whole story, there's got to be something you can do," Takuya replied.

"There isn't, trust me I've tried," Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed. "Well what about these other ghosts?"

"What about them?" Shinichi asked.

"You said that you didn't know why people who you saved ended up in dire situations again. I heard from the man with the long nose, that guy I told you about earlier, that the ghosts were responsible for all the recent tragedies that have taken place in the world lately," Takuya explained. "Do you think they could have something to do with it?"

Shinichi was confused but then he thought about it for a moment. "I-I'm not entirely sure. I mean most of the other ghosts I see don't even respond to anything. They just stand around, staring off into space. So far I'm the only one I know of who can move around freely and do all those cool ghost tricks."

"Wow, is that really what it's like on the other side?" Takuya asked.

"Limbo, that's what I started calling it. I'm not sure if it's the actual Limbo like in the bible and stuff, but the endless boredom and nothingness over there kind of makes me feel like it is," Shinichi explained.

"Limbo, eh?" Takuya replied. "So tell me then, is it possible that there are other ghosts like you out there without you knowing? I mean, you can't be everywhere at once, right?"

"I guess, it's possible that some other ghosts like me could be in Limbo. I've only been around for about three months…I think," Shinichi explained.

"You think?" Takuya repeated.

"Remember I told you, I've got full on amnesia. I can't remember anything clearly except for the past three months and my name. I could've even been dead a lot longer than that. All I know is that I woke up one day and I couldn't get anyone to hear me, it took a little while for me to finally realize that no one could see or hear me. Learning you're dead, it's…it's really heavy stuff."

"…" Takuya stayed silent.

"But why all of the interest in this stuff all of a sudden? Like you said, I just wanted to come here and apologize," Shinichi replied.

"Because, no matter home much you say it's hopeless, I still want to help those people. I still want to help that girl, and for whatever reason you and I can see them. Don't you see? We're the only ones that can help them. We have to do this," Takuya explained.

"I keep telling you, even if you find and save this girl in time something else is just going to come along and kill her. If you prevent the murder, who knows the death may come by her own hand the next time," Shinichi replied.

"We have to at least try. You said it before yourself, you want to help these people. What if the two of us work together to do that? Do you think we have a chance at changing their fate then?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi sighed. "It's definitely worth a shot, one of the main reasons I wasn't able to save any of the people in the omens was that I had no way of finding out who they were. Since I'm a ghost my power in the mortal world is very limited, it's different in Limbo, I'm a lot stronger there. But there's no real way of helping them inside of Limbo." He crossed his arms and then closed his eyes and began to think. "Yeah, come to think of it this might actually be a good way to go about this. I find more omens in Limbo, and you search your world for the people that I see in the omens. But come to think of it, you might be able to go to Limbo with me and scope it out."

"What? I can go to Limbo? How do you know that?" Takuya asked.

"Umm, dude are you for real? You've already been there before, how else do you think you could see that girl's omen? Omens can only be seen in Limbo, that's why I was able to find you. Living things typically don't wander into Limbo so you sent off a weird signal which I responded to," Shinichi explained. "You seriously didn't notice you were in Limbo?"

"No, I didn't," Takuya replied.

"Hmm, well I guess it isn't that surprising. The living world and Limbo look real similar at first, the only differences are the millions of dead people walking around and the fact that it gets creepier and weirder the deeper you go in," Shinichi replied.

"Huh? So I've been to Limbo before and didn't even know it?" Takuya asked himself.

"This might actually work. I haven't ever been able to prevent one of these deaths on my own, but now that I have a sidekick I might be able to get the job done," Shinichi said to himself.

"Sidekick? Umm, you're joking right?" Takuya replied.

"I know more than you about this whole situation, which means you're my apprentice, my ward, etc., etc.," Shinichi replied with a smirk.

"Well actually I'm already ahead of you on this one," Takuya replied in a snarky tone. "I know where we can find that girl. She was wearing the uniform of my school, ergo we can find her here," Takuya explained.

Shinichi glared at Takuya with contempt. "Alright, I've got to admit, that's a pretty good find. You win this round." Then he laughed it off. "All this bickering and we haven't even been properly introduced yet, have we? You know my name, and pretty much everything about me. But I know zilch about you, what's your name?"

"It's Takuya, Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya replied.

"Cool, so I guess since you know me by my first name, I can call you by your first name. Deal?" Shinichi asked.

"Sure, that's fine I guess," Takuya replied with a sweatdrop.

Shinichi chuckled in delight. "Alright then Takuya, now that we've come to an agreement and we know where our target is, what do you say you get dressed and we go looking for her?"

"No can do, I've got plans today," Takuya replied.

Shinichi seemed disappointed. "What? What could be more important than saving that girl's life?"

"It's not about anything that's more important, it's just stuff I have to do. My cousin is going to be here at 7:00 to take me on a tour of the school since I'm just transferring in, and I can't blow it off or else she will literally…no, not figuratively…literally kill me. And then after that I have a meeting with my grandfather that I also can't blow off or else my cousin might try and kill my ghost. Trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side. She was bad as a kid, but just from what little I saw of her yesterday, I can tell she's gotten a hell of a lot worse," Takuya explained.

Shinichi sighed. "I understand. I just don't get why you had to go and get me into high gear for a rescue mission if you were just going to bail on me anyway."

"I'm not bailing on anything; I should be back by noon at the latest, then we can figure out our next move. In the meantime, I'll keep my eye out for our girl while I'm on my cousin's tour. Odds are I'll run into her sooner or later," Takuya replied.

"Okay, good plan. But umm, what am I supposed to do while you're doing all of this?" Shinichi asked.

"Well I don't want you running off again, so while I'm gone please do me a favor and just stay put," Takuya replied.

"What?" Shinichi groaned. "You expect me to just hang out by myself in this boring room?"

"Hey, according to your story you've been hanging out by yourself in Limbo this whole time. What's a few more hours to you? But if you want something to do, you can start unpacking for me," Takuya motioned to the large pile of cardboard boxes jutting out from his closet. "I'm pretty sure my parents shipped my TV here, along with my gaming console and other entertainment devices. You can kill some time with those, right?"

Shinichi sighed again. "Fine, but just don't keep me waiting, okay?"

"Good boy," Takuya replied with a smirk.

"I'm not a freaking dog," Shinichi replied with a glare.

"Whatever," Takuya replied as he grabbed his uniform bag, a basket of bathing supplies that were in an open box, his cellphone, wallet, and room key and then headed outside his room to find the dorm's washroom. However, when he opened the door he found a familiar face waiting outside to greet him. His dorm neighbor, Ryuta Yanasai. Ryuta was also wearing the Yousha Academy male uniform, except instead of wearing the blue coat jacket with the school's emblem on it he wore a simple blue vest.

"Yo, morning neighbor," said Ryuta. Takuya was a little taken aback at first, and practically jumped at the sight of Ryuta. Shinichi and Ryuta both snickered at Takuya's response, but Ryuta seemed to be unable to hear Shinichi mimicking his actions. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no it's alright," Takuya replied, still a little shaken up. "So what's up, Yanasai?"

"Oh, well I was just about to head over to the dining hall to get something for breakfast and I thought you might like to…" Ryuta noticed that Takuya was still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. Then he smirked. "Did you by any chance have some company over after your cousin left last night?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, it's not like that."

Then Ryuta fake gasped. "Don't tell me, your cousin never left last night?! Oh I knew that there was more to you two than met the eye! How long has this incestuous little relationship of yours been going on?! You've got to give me the deets, dude!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Shut up, it's not like that either," Takuya said with an added blush.

"Oh really," Ryuta replied. "Excuse me," and then he weaseled his way past Takuya and made his way into Takuya's room. "Yoo-hoo, Miyazaki-san?! You hiding in here?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Would you shut up?! The whole dorm is going to hear your idiocy!" Takuya exclaimed and then closed the door. Ryuta ignored Takuya and then began to check under Takuya's bed, and after he was satisfied that no one was under there he checked the closet, and looked behind all the cardboard boxes stuffed inside.

"Well, no Miyazaki-san, or any other girl for that matter. Guess you weren't lying," said Ryuta. "There's no one in here but you." However, Ryuta seemed to be blissfully unaware that Shinichi was standing right next to him. In response to his comment, Shinichi simply rolled his eyes.

"Yeah no one at all," Shinichi replied in a snarky tone.

"I told you, I was just exhausted last night so I crashed as soon as I hit my mattress. I didn't have any company," Takuya replied.

"So I guess, I've just been hearing you talking to yourself for the past five minutes, eh?" Ryuta replied.

"…" Takuya went silent.

"Well I guess that makes sense. I didn't hear any other voices anyway. But a little advice, if you want to have a conversation with yourself keep it to a whisper. Like I said last night, the walls in this place are paper thin," Ryuta said with a smirk.

"Is there something you want?" Takuya asked.

"Oh yeah, I was just wondering if you wanted to go over to the dining hall with me to get some breakfast. It's your first day on campus so I figured I should do the neighborly thing and show you around a bit," Ryuta explained.

"Actually, I already have plans with my cousin. I'm trying to get ready for her right now," Takuya replied.

Ryuta's face made a small but noticeable show of disappointment. "Oh…umm, okay that's cool. Maybe next time then." Ryuta stuffed his hands in his pockets and then made his way to Takuya's door. "So I'll see you later, I guess."

But before he could go Takuya stopped him, "Wait, Yanasai."

"Yeah?" Ryuta had a small optimistic look on his face.

"I was going to take a shower; can you tell me where the dorm washrooms are?" Takuya asked.

Ryuta sighed and then he nodded. "Yeah no problem, go down the hall and take a left when you hit the intersection. That'll take you the second year washroom. But I'd hurry if I were you, usually all the hot water is gone by 6:30. Anyways, later," he waved off Takuya. Then he opened the door and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Wow, talk about a 180-degree spin," Shinichi replied when Ryuta had left. "Guy, must be wicked depressed about something. And I didn't think he really appreciated the way you just blew him off like that." Then he crossed his arms and looked at Takuya with contempt. "But then again, I know exactly how he feels. Nobody likes to be blown off."

Takuya sighed. "He has a criminal record, my cousin told me so last night. I guess he must have found out that she told me, and now he probably thinks I'm avoiding him now."

"Poor guy, what are you gonna do about him?" Shinichi replied.

Takuya shook his head. "There's nothing I can do. Between everything that's going on in my own life, and looking for that girl with you, I don't have time for other people's problems right now."

"Kind of cold," Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed. "It's not like I don't understand how he feels. In fact, I probably understand better than anyone. I just…I can't afford to get involved with him. Not right now at least, there are extenuating circumstances," he tried to explain. "Look I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I have to get ready. And remember stay here and don't cause any trouble." Then he gathered up his things again, exited the room, and closed the door behind him.

"…" Shinichi stared down at the floor. He was unsure of what to do next. "Criminal record, eh?"

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Morning**

Upon exiting his dorm room, Takuya saw that a lot of other boys in his dorm were already up and dressed for the day. Some were wearing their uniforms, meaning they intended to stay on campus for the day, and some were dressed in their causal clothes, meaning they intended to spend the day off of the campus. Some of the boys stared at him in curiosity, as a transfer student was usually common public interest in any school in the world. He heard whispers about him from various students as he walked to the washroom.

" _Is that him? Looks like it, I hear he's from Los Angeles. Los Angeles, that's in America, right? / Is he seriously going to keep his hair like that? What's the big deal, didn't you have your hair dyed pink when you showed up here? Yeah, but that's before I came face to face with the Demon Disciplinarian himself. Oh God, totally forgot about that. When he was through with you, you looked like you were about to piss your pants. That bastard's insanely scary man, I thought my hair was actually gonna turn white for a second there. You think the transfer student will run into him too? Only a matter of time, that bastard Handa is always out for blood. / What do you think of him? Hell if I know, I haven't even spoken a word to him yet. Wait, you haven't heard yet? He's already on Yousha Unmasked. You seriously read that shit? You know the guy running that blog is probably making half of that stuff up. Not necessarily he was right about Yanasai, wasn't he? And then there was that whole thing with that punkish third year girl, remember? Oh yeah, geez that bitch freaks me out, I tried saying good morning to her one day and she threated to kick my face and balls in. Sheesh, why were you talking to her anyway, did you have a thing for her? Kind of yeah, you know what they say about those kind of chicks, right? They're up for anything. You are so barking up the wrong tree._ " The boys kept whispering meaningless nothing back to one another.

'Geez, and I thought girls gossiped too much,' Takuya thought to himself. But one piece of information stuck with him though. 'Yousha Unmasked? It had information about Yanasai on it? Could that be?' Takuya thought back to his conversation with his cousin the night before.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _"You remember how I told you that some of those online rumors about us having students with criminal records are true? Well he's one of the primary causes of those rumors," Fuyumi explained in a whisper._

 _Takuya's eyes widened. "What?"_

 _"He was never officially charged with anything, but it's on his record. And when he started here, somehow that information got leaked. Everybody knows about it but nobody really says anything out of fear. I know he doesn't appear like it but he's very dangerous. I…I just don't want you getting involved with a person like that. Not after what happened to you in LA. People talk, isn't that why you left?" Fuyumi asked._

 _Takuya couldn't wrap his head around it. "That smiling, jokey guy has a criminal record?"_

 _"Looks can be deceiving. Please, just promise me you won't get any more involved with him than you have to," Fuyumi replied._

* * *

'Could this blog be the source of that information leak? And it has information on me on it too, eh? I wonder if Fuyumi knows anything more about this,' Takuya thought to himself. Unfortunately, he found himself so deep in thought that he ended up walking right into someone. He collided with another boy and then when he looked up to apologize he saw who the boy was in question. He was slightly taller than him, Takuya's head just meeting his neckline. He had odd silver, shoulder length hair, which had long bangs that fell down over his face. He had sharp, bright blue eyes that appeared to be almost neon blue in color. And he looked sleep deprived, considering there was a series of black bags under his eyes. He actually sort of looked like he was half asleep. He wore the academy uniform as well, only he made alterations to it like Ryuta had done as well. Instead of his blue coat jacket, he wore a black haori coat that reached down to his ankles, and the haori had a blood red magatama design on either side of its shoulder sleeves. And instead of the red dress tie, he wore a red scarf that hung loosely from his neck. Just from a single look, Takuya could easily tell that this guy was very odd.

"Oh umm…sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm new here," Takuya apologized for bumping into the boy and tried to start a conversation.

"…" the silver-haired boy didn't respond.

"My name's Takuya Miyazaki. What's yours?" Takuya asked.

"…" again no response. Takuya sweatdropped at the lack of response. The boy was blinking and staring at him, so he clearly heard him. But for some reason he wouldn't respond. Until finally without warning he spoke up, "I don't know why that really matters, you won't see me much during your time here." Then he simply sidestepped Takuya and continued walking down the dormitory hall.

'Weird. Very weird,' Takuya thought to himself and then he continued down the hall to make his way to the washroom. Apparently the washroom was separate from the regular restroom, as they were behind different doors. Takuya pushed open the door to the washroom and then prepared to make use of one of the shower stalls. After ten minutes of washing, scrubbing, and letting the lukewarm water of the boys' dorm wash over him he got out of the shower and then proceeded to change into his uniform. 'As much as I admired how those other guys were experimenting with their uniform style, I better not draw any more attention to myself than necessary.' He opted to wear the uniform just as it was intended to be worn. After that was done he exited the washroom and headed to the restroom to relieve himself. As he was washing his hands he stared into the restroom mirror and then looked back at the restroom stalls. 'No omens today, eh?' He was half-expecting for him to see that same girl again. 'I wonder, does the fact that I saw her in a bathroom stall mean she's going to die in a bathroom stall?' he asked himself. 'I've got to remember to ask Shinichi about the details when I get back to him later.' Then he walked out of the restroom and he came face to face with another boy. He was slouching against the wall on the opposite side of the hall, and he almost appeared to be waiting for him.

"Takuya Miyazaki, that's you right?" the boy called out to him. He was definitely waiting for him. The boy was only slightly taller than Takuya but he appeared to be far more serious than an average high school student, so Takuya figured he must have been a third year. And being sought out by a domineering senpai such as this on his first day, was definitely not a good sign. He had short neatly combed black hair, pale white skin, and sharp almond-colored eyes that were hidden behind a pair of sharp-looking glasses. He, like Takuya, was also wearing the standard academy uniform except he also wore a red armband on his left arm that had the kanji for discipline, 懲罰 (choubatsu), on it.

Then Takuya though back to what his cousin had told him yesterday at the hospital.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _She ran her hand through his hair. "What on Earth have you done to your hair? Do you honestly think that's appropriate for school?"_

 _"Actually at my old school in LA, not having any dyed hair was considered abnormal," Takuya joked._

 _Fuyumi sighed. "It's fine, I guess. Just try to avoid the School Disciplinary Committee, they're real sticklers for school rules."_

* * *

'Shit. I hated the Disciplinary Committee when I went to elementary school. I can only imagine what a high school Disciplinary Committee is like, especially at a school like this,' Takuya thought to himself as he sweat bullets.

"Hey, listen to your senpai when they address you!" the boy shouted at Takuya. "Takuya Miyazaki, you're him, right?!"

Takuya gulped. "Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you," he stuck his hand out, hoping the boy would do the same and they could shake hands and start fresh.

"…" the boy didn't reply and didn't match Takuya's actions. He just crossed his arms and glared at him intensely.

"Or not," Takuya replied as he retracted his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with your posture?! Stand up straight maggot!" the boy barked at Takuya, making him abruptly shift his stance.

Then the boy began to look Takuya over, and when he was satisfied he smirked. "Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat. I don't like you. Don't take it personally though, I don't like any of the other students here. All of you are lazy, inconsiderate, wastes of space in my book. The endless rule-breakers, delinquents, and gang-bangers get on my fucking nerves. But a school like this, with nothing but troubled students as far as the eye can see, needs someone like me to keep them in line. Someone who can whip you lazy bastards into shape and prepare you for all the shit that the world is going to throw at you." He chuckled. "I commend you on not taking the liberal approach toward our dress code. As you've probably noticed a lot of people think they can do whatever they want with their uniform and nobody will give a shit. Well I do give a shit, very much so. So I'm going to tell you what I tell all the new students who start here, if I see a single wrinkle in your uniform I will drag your ass down to the Headmaster's office without a second thought, are we clear?"

"Yes, Senpai," Takuya replied in a panicked tone.

"Good, now as for your hair. It's a disgrace, so I want it gone. I'm giving you one week to dye your hair back to black all the way or so help me God I will come at you brandishing a hair razor and shave it all off. Are we clear?" the boy asked.

"Yes, Senpai," Takuya replied.

"Good, now one more thing. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm the head of the Student Council's Disciplinary Committee. My name is Akio Handa, and I run a very tight ship around here. I'm the reason that the delinquents in this school are afraid to act out or cause any trouble whatsoever. They know that if they fuck up in any way that they'll have to answer to me, the Demon Disciplinarian. And do you know why they respect me as such?" The question was rhetorical as Takuya found out, because a few seconds later Akio answered his own question. "It's because they fear me. And they're right to do so. You're no exception, Miyazaki. Don't think just because your cousin is on the student council with me and your grandfather is the Headmaster of the academy that you have free range to do whatever the hell you want. I know your type, you think justice and punishment are below you and you can do whatever you damn well please whenever you damn well want."

"Umm, Handa-senpai…actually I…" Takuya tried to interject but Akio cut him off.

"Did I say you could speak, maggot?!" Akio shouted at Takuya. "Now as I was saying, I don't know all the shit you got away with back in Los Angeles, but I'm warning you right here, right now that it isn't going to fly here at Yousha. You either obey the rules or your ass gets kicked out of here, and not even your grandfather will be able to save you. You're not special here, you're just the same as every damn slacker in this joint. You got that?"

"Yes, Handa-senpai," Takuya replied.

Akio smirked again, baring his devilish grin at Takuya. "I hope you've got the gall to stick it out to the end, Miyazaki. Because until I graduate next year, I'm going to be stuck to you like glue. Welcome to hell." Akio began to walk away from Takuya, but not before turning around and giving him the signal that he was watching him. Then he finally left him alone.

Takuya sighed. "Great, it isn't even 7:00 yet and I'm already surrounded by Yousha weirdoes," he said to himself. "God compared to the Demon Disciplinarian and that drowsy silver-haired guy, Yanasai's criminal record doesn't seem to stand out that much." Takuya groaned and held his head. "I think all of his yelling gave me a headache." He pulled out his cellphone and checked the time. It was _6:45_. "I can't think about anything else right now, have to go put my clothes back in my room and then go meet up with Fuyu," Takuya said to himself.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Morning**

Upon returning to his room, Takuya found that no one else was there. Shinichi was gone, for real this time. He sighed again. "God damn idiot, where did the hell did you go now?" he asked himself.

* * *

A/N: It appears that our young hero's school life shall be filled with very interesting and peculiar individuals. Stay tuned for even more interesting events.


	9. Chapter VI

A/N: The time of rebirth is drawing closer and closer. I feel that our young hero's quest shall soon begin. What will await him? Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter VI: The girls of Yousha are just as troublesome as the guys**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Morning**

Takuya followed his cousin around the campus throughout her whole tour. She took him to each and every building, starting with the dining hall so they could both have a quick breakfast. The dining hall was massive from the inside and outside, it was housed in a large building made out of bricks that had large windows all around the base of it. Inside it was almost like a five-star buffet restaurant, with several tables and counters that were piled with delicious food. The eating area of the dining hall was comprised of twenty large wooden tables that were decorated with red tablecloths; it looked like you could easily seat over a hundred people at one table. And next to the windows of the dining hall there were several circular tables that Takuya surmised were probably used by close knit groups. He and Fuyumi gathered their breakfast and then found seats at an empty circular table, and then while eating they spent their time making small talk. Takuya told her how he had been ambushed outside the restroom by one of her friends on the Student Council, Akio Handa the Demon Disciplinarian. Fuyumi laughed at Takuya's predicament and apologized for not warning Takuya about him, although in her defense she did tell him that the Disciplinary Committee at their school was high-strung. But she explained that Akio's bark was a lot worse than his bite, so even if Takuya didn't fully dye his hair back to black the most he would get from Akio was a slap on the wrist and maybe some school cleaning duty if Akio flat out didn't like him.

She went on to say that despite the dictatorial attitude that Akio possessed he was a really hard worker and the Student Council wouldn't be where it was without him on it. Though she did admit that she would occasionally get a little annoyed with him as well as she had also been on the receiving end of his nasty bark. And unfortunately she couldn't just punch him as she did with Takuya since Akio was her senpai as well. So even if she didn't like him all that much she still had to respect him, and unfortunately the same applied to Takuya. After that they made mindless small talk about the going ons in their own lives. And Fuyumi admitted that she got curious and checked Takuya's social media, and that she saw all the hate-filled comments and death threats that had littered all of his accounts. Takuya explained that because of all those horrible lies being told about him that he swore off social media for good. He wasn't going to become one of those people whose life was ruined by the Internet. Then Takuya asked Fuyumi about the rumor that he heard before in the boys' dorm. The rumor concerning the infamous blog, Yousha Unmasked. Apparently the blog contained stories about a lot of the students at Yousha, including Takuya's dorm neighbor, Ryuta Yanasai.

And with a little coaxing Fuyumi admitted to the Student Council being aware of the blog, and surmised that this was probably the means in which Ryuta and several other students' personal information was leaked. But so far the Student Council had been unable to track down the author of the blog, as they had so far gone to great lengths to keep their identity a secret. Fuyumi also admitted that she didn't want Takuya to get involved with the matter as he had become the recent topic of the blog. Apparently the author of Yousha Unmasked found out Takuya was going to be attending Yousha soon and in the past week had revealed everything about the events that took place last December, but the author had also neglected to mention the fact that Takuya's involvement in the massacre was never proven and that he was in fact innocent of everything he was being accused of.

Takuya was obviously upset about all of this, the reason that he decided to return to Japan in the first place was to get away from all the trouble in LA, but it appeared as if that trouble had just followed him here. The one saving grace that Fuyumi informed him of was that Takuya was only the topic of the blog at the moment, with how many colorful students there were at the academy his infamy would only be short lived. Most likely forgotten about in the coming weeks when a new student took the center stage of Yousha Unmasked. But that didn't make Takuya feel much better, as it seemed the only way he would be able to have a peaceful student life is if another person became the target of vicious rumors. He had the utmost contempt for the author of Yousha Unmasked after everything Fuyumi had told him. But without knowledge of the person behind the blog there was nothing he could do. Fuyumi assured him that as soon as the Student Council figured out which student was behind the blog that they would be immediately expelled, or if in the event the culprit turned out to be a teacher they would be fired on the spot and charged with several counts of harassment. That made Takuya feel a little better.

In the midst of their discussion, Takuya busied himself by looking around the dining hall in search of Ryuta, who had informed him that he was going to be there earlier. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him. Takuya wanted more than anything to talk to him, he realized last night upon hearing his situation that he might've been just like him, but after hearing everything about Yousha Unmasked he knew for certain that he and Ryuta were kindred spirits. He had to talk to him, if only to tell him that he wasn't alone. Takuya wished so much that he could have done Chris the same curtesy. After the semi-unpleasant breakfast, Fuyumi continued Takuya's tour of the campus.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Morning**

Besides two large dorms and a massive dining hall, Yousha Academy was also made up of a school library which was housed in its own private two-story building. Three classroom buildings, which were divided into elementary school, junior high school, and high school. A massive sports building that was made up of a small soccer, track, and football field, a gymnasium, a boxing and wrestling ring, an archery dojo, and a large swimming pool. Yousha was a private academy so not many of its sports teams actually competed with other schools but at least the players got to do what they loved all the time. Takuya was never on a single sports team in his whole life so he couldn't really relate to that. And the whole time he was on the tour, Takuya tried to keep an eye out for three people. The girl in the omen that he witnessed, Ryuta who he wanted to talk to about Yousha Unmasked, and Shinichi who had once again disappeared without a word. But so far there was no sign of any of them. However, Shinichi had proven that if he wanted to he could stay hidden from Takuya indefinitely.

Finally, the tour brought Fuyumi and Takuya to Yousha's large and beautiful central courtyard, which appeared to be an odd mix of Eastern and Western traditions. It looked like a weird hybrid of a traditional Japanese Zen garden complete with koi ponds, reflecting pools, and rock gardens, and a Western style park complete with benches, cobblestone paths, bird baths, flowers, and a large fountain. Fuyumi explained that a few years back, before she was on the Student Council or even attended Yousha, the school was deciding whether to make their courtyard Eastern or Western style but they couldn't reach a decision so in the end they decided to include all aspects of each style. It was odd, but the students who spent their time there absolutely loved it. However, it appeared to be quite barren at the moment. The only person who was there was a shorter girl, who Takuya assumed must have been a first year.

She had pale skin, white hair, and red eyes, so she must have been albino. Her eyes were large and round, and her hair was wavy, messy and it stopped short at her shoulders. And the left side of hair partially hanged over her face. She had a small waist, but slightly above average size hips and bust. Her ears looked pierced but she didn't seem to be wearing any earrings, and she wore some cherry red lip tint on her lips. She wore the standard girl's uniform for Yousha, but she also wore a slightly baggy, black coat with fur lining the cuffs, hood, and bottom over her blue blazer. She wasn't wearing the red collar bowtie and instead she left the first two buttons of her white undershirt undone, and she also wore thigh high black socks. She was also wearing a delicate, chain bracelet with a single flower charm on her left wrist, and a simple cord necklace that was old and frayed and held a blue labradorite gem edged with sterling silver. She was sitting on a bench underneath a large tree and quietly reading a book to herself.

Fuyumi sighed in exasperation. "I'm exhausted just from showing you around. Let's take a break." Then she sat down on a bench next to the albino girl. Takuya sat down with his cousin but continued to stare at the albino girl. "Thank God we only have one more building to go before your meeting with grandfather. But just from what you've seen so far tell me, what do you think of Yousha?" Fuyumi asked him.

"…" Takuya didn't respond.

Then Fuyumi looked in the direction of the girl who caught his eye. "Oh? Is she your type?"

"No, it's not like that. I just like to people watch sometimes," Takuya replied in an embarrassed tone.

"Well why just watch when you can meet the people in person?" Fuyumi replied in a playful tone. Then she called out to the albino girl. "Excuse me, Akagawa-senpai?"

"Wait, senpai?" Takuya seemed confused.

"…" the albino girl appeared to not have heard her.

"Earth to Akagawa-senpai? Anybody home?" Fuyumi continued to try and get the girl's attention.

Then finally the girl looked up from her book and then looked to the cousins' direction. She seemed to have been completely unaware of their presence because when she first spotted the cousins on the bench right next to her she jumped in surprise and let out a cute little yelp. Her book ended up landing on top of her head in the excitement. Then she began to pant heavily, like someone would do after they had just seen something really surprising and scary.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Fuyumi replied.

When the girl's breathing patterns were back to normal she removed the book from her head and then she shook her head. "It's…it's quite alright. I just don't normally get interrupted when I'm reading, so you surprised me a little bit. The courtyard is usually barren this time of day, that's why I come here to read then. I didn't expect to see anyone else," the girl explained.

"Yeah, we're just passing through. I'm showing my cousin around campus, he's attending classes here starting tomorrow," Fuyumi explained. "But again, so sorry for disturbing you."

"No, I'm sorry for overreacting so much. I was just so absorbed in my reading that I didn't even notice you. I apologize for not answering when you called out to me, Miyazaki-san," the girl replied.

Fuyumi giggled. "You don't have to be so courteous with me Senpai, you can just call me Fuyumi or Fuyumi-chan if you prefer."

"Oh, I couldn't do that it's not proper, as your upperclassman I should be even more courteous," the girl replied.

"Wait, hang on a second. You're our senpai?" Takuya asked.

The girl seemed to get depressed. "…"

"How rude can you be, you idiot? Akagawa-senpai is very sensitive about her height," Fuyumi whispered to Takuya. Then she nudged him hard in the chest. "Apologize, now."

"I…I'm sorry Senpai, I didn't mean to make fun of you or anything. I was just surprised," Takuya replied.

The girl smiled a little bit. "It's okay, I've gotten used to people being curious about my appearance. I can't blame them for it though, I know I'm very different. In case you haven't noticed I suffer from albinism, so I have to stay in the shade every time I go outside or else I might get sunburned. When I was younger I didn't go outside and exercise that often because of that fact, and I think because of that I skipped my growth spurt." Then she sighed. "I know I shouldn't really let silly insecurities like that get to me, but I guess I just like to feel like a normal girl sometimes…worrying about those kinds of things, you know?" She smiled at Takuya. "So you're Miyazaki-san's cousin, right? I'm Masako Akagawa, it's nice to meet you."

"My name's Takuya Miyazaki, it's nice to meet you too, Senpai. Again, I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Masako giggled. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean anything by it. And if you're Miyazaki-san's cousin, I know for sure that you're a nice person." She got up from her bench and then bowed politely. "I look forward to studying with you, and I wish you all the best of luck in your new school life here. You're going to really love it, trust me."

"Thank you for the kind words, Akagawa-senpai. Knowing this idiot, he'll need all the support he can get," Fuyumi jokingly patted Takuya on his shoulder.

"Geez, thanks for the show of confidence, cuz," Takuya replied.

Masako giggled again. "You two are so funny together. You must get along really well."

"Oh yeah, we're just a barrel full of laughs," Takuya replied in a snarky tone. Fuyumi nudged Takuya once again in response to his comment.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Senpai," said Fuyumi. "But we've still got a lot of ground to cover on our tour. Next up, is the arts and clubs building. You're heading back there anyway, right Senpai? Want to join us?"

Masako seemed surprised by the sudden invitation. "Umm, maybe next time. There are a few more things I need to do today before I can even think about cooking."

"Aww," Fuyumi groaned in disappointment. "I was looking forward to taste testing some of your sweets again today."

Masako giggled again. "You say taste test, but every time I invite you to try some of my sweets you end up eating them all."

"I can't help it; your sweets are so delicious, Senpai. And not just your baked goods either, anything you make is delicious," Fuyumi replied.

Masako seemed embarrassed. "Oh…well thank you for the compliment. I'll be sure to make some extra sweets just for you for next time, Miyazaki-san." Then she looked to Takuya. "And you're welcome to try some too if you'd like, Miyazaki-kun."

"I'd like that, Akagawa-senpai," Takuya replied.

Masako continued to blush in embarrassment. "Geez, you guys are making me blush. I'm going to go finish up my errands for the day. See you later." Then Masako collected her book and left the courtyard, leaving Takuya and Fuyumi alone.

"She seems really nice," said Takuya.

Fuyumi sighed and then nodded. "She is, which is why she doesn't deserve all that she's been through."

Takuya was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Her too," Fuyumi simply said. "She's like you and Yanasai, she was one of the very first targets on Yousha Unmasked."

Takuya frowned. 'Damn that bastard, making a sweet girl like her a pariah.' Then he shook his head. "What could she possibly have done that would be so bad as to warrant her that kind of exposure?"

"It's not what she's done per se, it's more like what's been done to her that's the issue. That poor girl has been through more pain and suffering then anybody should ever have to go through. Her mother died during childbirth, and then a few years later her father passed away as well. Then she went to go live with her grandparents and a few years later they both passed away. At the point in time she was only ten years old."

"Jesus," Takuya simply replied.

"I think her aunt took her in after that, but that must not have lasted either because a few months later Akagawa-senpai ended up here at Yousha. She's been ever since. She had other relatives but apparently none of them wanted to take her in because…" Fuyumi scoffed. "Get this, because they were afraid she would be the death of them as well. I've heard grandfather talk about her situation before, apparently her whole family think she's cursed. Anybody or anything who gets close to her ends up dead in the end. It's so ridiculous and cruel, her aunt sends her a care package and some money every now and then but she has never once come and visited her. It makes me sick just thinking about how her family treats her."

"You two sound pretty close," said Takuya.

Fuyumi frowned. "When I first started here I felt really alone, my parents had just died and I didn't really know anyone here except for grandfather. Akagawa-senpai picked up on that I guess, and she gave me some handmade cookies to cheer me up. Since then, I've tried to get to know her even more. I want her to truly be my friend, but her family…what they did to her had a lasting effect. Every time I try to get close to her, she pushes me away. She'll allow me to eat her sweets and what not but when it comes to getting more familiar with each other she won't let me in."

"So I guess you've been trying to make friends with people at least," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi nodded. "She needs a friend more than anyone. And now that you're here, maybe she'll be able to open up more if the two of us continue to talk to her. Would you do me a favor and try to reach out to her when you can?"

Takuya nodded. "You can count on me."

Fuyumi smiled and then she hugged her cousin. "You can be surprisingly amazing when you want to be." Then she released him and sat up from the bench. "Now come on, our next stop is the arts and clubs building."

"Right," Takuya replied. Then he followed his cousin to the next stop on their tour. But unbeknownst to the cousins, someone was watching them from the shadows. When they were out of earshot, Masako revealed herself. It appeared that she had never left the courtyard.

She frowned. "Why? Why does she put so much effort into someone like me?" she asked herself. "Getting her cousin involved in it too, doesn't she understand that I want to be left alone? I'm a curse, and I don't want to hurt anyone else. Why can't she just understand that?"

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Morning**

The arts and clubs building was a large four story building which had over twenty different rooms on each floor. Takuya saw many students participating in weekend club activities and chatting with their fellow club members. "The first two floors are made up of non-artistic extracurriculars and the top two floors are made up of only artistic extracurriculars," Fuyumi explained. On the side of the hall there was a brochure kiosk and a bulletin board advertising all sorts of clubs. "We offer about every single extracurricular you can think of here at Yousha, so we encourage every student to join at least one club. Of course you're free to not join any clubs as well, but in my personal opinion clubs are the best places to meet new friends. If I wasn't already busy with my Student Council duties, I would join one in a heartbeat."

"Well I wasn't a part of any clubs at my old school, so I guess it would be good to have a change of pace," Takuya replied. Takuya looked the bulletin board over and saw that most of the flyers advertising the clubs had member sign-up sheets attached to them, and most of the clubs had been filled up by other students.

"Unfortunately the clubs fill up really fast, and I'm afraid the original sign up day was last Friday," Fuyumi explained.

"So slim pickings, eh?" Takuya replied. The remaining clubs that were left over didn't seem appealing to him at all. The only one that seemed even half-interesting to him was the orchestra club, and unfortunately Takuya didn't have an ounce of musical talent. He sighed in defeat. "Are there any clubs that would still be willing to take new members even if they are full?"

"Maybe if you ask around but I'm not so sure, there's actually a school rule about how many members a club is limited to. Clubs are still required to do school-mandated activities so that whole process gets kind of difficult to control with a lot of members. But there's always room for more clubs so if you can't find anything that interests you in particular you're welcome to try and start your own club."

Takuya sweatdropped. "No thanks, I'm not that kind of take-charge guy. Plus, clubs have to get approved by the Student Council and you have to find a teacher who's willing to be your advisor, right?"

Fuyumi sweatdropped. "That's generally how it works, yeah."

"I'm afraid of getting rejected," Takuya simply said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Such a nothing-based answer. The truth is you're just too lazy to even try," Fuyumi replied.

"Caught red handed, eh?" Takuya replied with a chuckle.

Fuyumi sighed. "You need to have more confidence in yourself and be more out-going, I remember you had that same problem in elementary school. And yet for some reason people were still drawn to you."

Takuya chuckled. "What can I say? I'm a likeable guy." Takuya smiled and clasped his arms behind his head.

"You're not humble at all though," Fuyumi added.

Takuya glared at his cousin.

"Miyazaki-senpai! Miyazaki-senpai!" someone called out to the cousins. Takuya and Fuyumi turned to see a younger girl running towards them. She had short brown hair that was tied up into twin tails, and amethyst-colored eyes that were hidden behind a pair of pink glasses. She also had pasty skin and a series of freckles that littered her cheeks and her nose. She wore the standard Yousha girl's uniform, but she also wore several buttons and pins all over her blazer. From what Takuya could see she had quite a variety of them, one looked like a skull, another one looked like a white Halloween-based ghost, another had the words _I WANT TO BELIEVE_ written on it, and another had the _Corpse Party_ logo on it. But those were just the ones that stood out the most to Takuya, the girl had a lot more on her. When she finally reached them she shouted again, "Miyazaki-senpai!"

Fuyumi sighed. "Yes, yes, I hear you Isobe-chan. What is it?"

The girl smiled. "Good news, I finally got all the details worked out for my club. I already asked one of the teachers to be the advisor and they said yes. So now I just need the Student Council to sign off on it." The girl reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper. "Here's the permission form, I just need a Student Council member's signature on this form and I can start hunting down members." She handed the paper to Fuyumi. "Sorry, it got a little wrinkled," she said with a giggle. A little wrinkled was an understatement though, it was practically a paper ball at the moment.

Fuyumi sweatdropped and then got to work on unfolding the paper ball, then she used the wall behind her and Takuya to smooth the paper out as best as she could. When that was done she looked over the information that was filled out on the paper. "So you've requested to use room 213? That's room's already taken by the astronomy club, isn't it?"

"No need to worry, I've already talked it over with them and they said they've been wanting a change of scenery anyway so they're willing to relocate to one of the vacant rooms," the girl replied.

"But why do you have to have room 213 if I may ask?" Fuyumi replied.

"Because 13 is the most supernatural number of them all, and for my club I want us to be all about the supernatural. Don't worry, I've already thought ahead. I'm going to cover up the 2 to make it even more realistic," the girl explained.

"That makes sense, I guess," Fuyumi replied. Then she looked over the paper some more. "And you've listed your advisor as Aomoto-sensei." Fuyumi raised one of her eyebrows. "If I may ask how did you get a science teacher to sign off on your club?"

"Because my club will be exploring the scientific, even if it's not within the normal realm of science," the girl replied.

"Okay then, everything appears to be in order. But there's one small thing, before you can officially start a club you need at least three members beforehand. So counting you, you'll need two more before you can get the Student Council to sign off on it."

The girl seemed really disappointed. "What?"

"It's only a minor oversight, I guess with all your preparation you just overlooked it. But I'm afraid rules are rules, if you want to start your club you need to find at least two members who want to join, then you can resubmit your application," Fuyumi explained.

The girl groaned. "But that will take forever! I had enough trouble getting everything set up, and now you're telling me I have to find members before I can actually apply to get members?!"

"Don't worry Isobe-chan, there's no deadline for club submissions, so as soon as you find two club members I'll see to it personally that your club is signed off on," Fuyumi replied. Then Takuya caught her eye. "And speaking of which, I just remembered that my cousin here is looking for a club to join. Maybe he would be willing to help you out, Isobe-chan."

The girl gasped and her eyes began to sparkle. "Really?!" She turned her attention to Takuya. "Would you join my club?!" She grabbed ahold of Takuya's dress jacket. "Please?! Please?! Please?! Pretty Please?!"

Takuya was surprised by how determined the girl was. "Umm…I don't know. Maybe? What's your club about?"

The girl released Takuya's arm and then she snickered mischievously, and then grew a wicked-looking grin. "To answer your question, I must first introduce myself." Then she pulled another object out of her skirt pocket, revealing it to be a small flashlight. She brought the flashlight up to her face and then switched it on, illuminating her facial features. "I am a believer in all things supernatural and otherworldly, a hunter of ghosts and demons, a researcher of psychics and espers, a biologist of the unseen world. I am Umeko Isobe, and it is my dream to become a legendary pseudoscientist who breaks the boundaries that separates our miniscule world from the great unknown that surrounds us. No matter the challenge that dare defies me, be it unholy demon spawn, evil government-issued assassins, or meddling counselors that say I should try to be more grounded in daily life, I will not stop until I answer all the hidden questions of the world! And my first step to realizing that dream is to form a club dedicated to that goal with like-minded peers who share my overwhelming curiosity in the unknown!" Then she began to cackle in an evil manner, and when that was done she switched off the flashlight and put it back in her skirt pocket.

Takuya sweatdropped. "So your name is Umeko Isobe, then? Alright, mine is Takuya Miyazaki. It's nice to meet you," Takuya said in an exhausted tone.

Umeko giggled. "So now that we've been properly introduced, Miyazaki-senpai 2. What do you say? Will you join me in my research of the unknown?"

"Umm, let me think about it, okay Isobe-san?" Takuya replied.

Umeko nodded. "Very well, your wish for time to process the work that shall be placed upon you is granted. But I request that you don't keep me waiting any longer than necessary. I shall be here afterschool for the remainder of the week, trying to get our clubroom set up. I expect to receive your answer in the coming days." Then Umeko turned to Fuyumi. "As for you, Miyazaki-senpai. You may hold onto that sheet for now, I will inform you of my fellow researchers' identities when they present themselves to me. Till then farewell, Miyazaki-senpai, and farewell to you as well, Miyazaki-senpai 2." Then she ran off down the corridor and up the stairs, presumably to the room she had set aside for her future club.

"Well…she's…something," Takuya muttered. He was still trying to process everything that just happened.

Fuyumi sighed. "That's Umeko Isobe for you. She believes in every urban myth that's ever been created, a real-life conspiracy enthusiast."

"And all that stuff about breaking the boundaries that separate the world from the unknown? I swear to God, if she started talking about an Evil Eye I would've been done," Takuya added.

"I think it's a breath of fresh air though," Fuyumi replied. "We have a lot of alternative clubs here besides just the traditional ones, so what's so bad about a supernatural studies club?" Then she smiled at Takuya. "You're not going to join though are you?"

Takuya shook his head. "No way in hell, ten minutes with that girl was more than enough. I couldn't imagine spending afternoons and weekends with her," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi sighed again. "Very well, just make sure you decline her offer gently. Despite her upbeat personality she's actually quite fragile."

"No problem," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi nodded. "Good, now then why don't we have a look around before we go? Who knows you might find a club that you're interested in that's still open."

"Yeah, sure why not? I guess it couldn't hurt," Takuya replied.

"Follow me then," Fuyumi replied. Then the two cousins continued their tour of the building.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Morning**

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor of the arts and clubs building, something troubling was beginning to occur. Two girls were currently occupying the orchestra club room, and they appeared to be in the process of tidying things up. One of the girls was busy polishing and cleaning the musical instruments in the room with a small green rag, there were a lot of them so she had her work cut out for her. However, the other girl appeared to be doing nothing but lazily sorting sheet music while sitting at the advisor's desk, while at the same time messing around with her cellphone. It was clear who amongst the two girls was working harder. The girl who was tending to the instruments appeared to be the youngest of the two. She had a slim build, a round face, and bright hazel eyes that seemed slightly sad. She also had shoulder-length, auburn hair that she kept in a loose bun, which allowed a few strands of her hair to hand around her face and head aimlessly. She wore the standard Yousha girl's uniform with no alterations, save for the fact that her blazer and undershirt sleeves were rolled up.

The other girl, who appeared to be older than the auburn-haired girl, had a light tan complexion, a curvy build, and bright blue eyes. She also had dyed blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail with an orange hair tie, and pink painted nails. She also wore the standard girl's uniform for Yousha, except her's had a lot of alterations done to it. She wasn't wearing the red collar bowtie and the top buttons of her undershirt were undone, which partially exposed her cleavage, and her blazer wasn't on all the way so its sleeves drooped down to her lower arms, but apparently that was her own style of wearing it as she kept it in place by tying a lavender scarf around her blazer and waist. She also wore several barrettes in her hair, a pair of earrings with a little cartoonish devil on them, a gold necklace with a star pendant on it, a silver charm bracelet with various little charms on it, and a red friendship bracelet. "Ugh, this is so boring!" the blonde-haired girl groaned. "Why the hell do I have to get stuck with this mindless grunt work?!"

The auburn-haired girl turned to the blonde-haired girl and glared at her in contempt. "…"

The blonde-haired girl matched the auburn-haired girl's glare. "What the hell are you looking at, you little freak?"

"…" the auburn-haired girl said nothing and just continued to glare.

The blonde-haired scoffed. "I have no idea why I got picked for cleaning duty with you of all people. Honestly, what the hell was Michiko thinking when she made that roster? Being with you is about as interesting as watching paint dry." She smirked. "You know everybody thinks you're weird, right? You never speak unless you're spoken to, and even though you're part of this club I've never once seen you play any musical instrument. Why the hell do you act so damn mopey anyway?"

"…" the auburn-haired girl still didn't respond.

The blonde-haired girl glared at her again. "Say something, why don't you? I know you're not mute, so speak up dammit. If you've got something to say to me then say it. Go on, share your thoughts. What about me makes you so mad? Or are you just too chicken shit to get involved in any conflict?"

The auburn-haired girl put down her rag and then stood up tall before responding. "If you must know, I think you're lazy, undisciplined, selfish, and just a general pain to be around. It baffles me how…and even why someone like you would even bother learning to play an instrument. You clearly don't care about music or this club at all, otherwise you would put even a little bit of effort into practice and cleaning duty. That's all I have to say."

The blonde-haired girl sat up from her chair and slammed her hands down on the advisor's desk. "For your information, you little freak, Michiko and I have been in the orchestra club here together since we were in elementary school. In case you haven't noticed, I'm first chair violin, do you think with how many people are in this club that maintaining that position is easy? I work harder in this club than I do in anything else, so excuse me for thinking that I'm better than the others and thinking that I'm above cleaning the room with some silent, no-talent little freak like you. You just came here last year, so I don't know what the hell your old school situation was like. I don't know if you did this same shit over there or not, and frankly I don't care. But don't you just stand there and accuse me of not taking any of this seriously. You have no idea how precious this club is to Michiko and I, so don't you dare pretend like you know me or what the hell my priorities are. You have no idea about the shit that I've been through."

The auburn-haired girl didn't back down. "I'm not going to pretend like I know you, frankly I don't care about you at all. You think you're the only one who's had a rough life? Then you must be pretty damn self-centered." She laid her hand on the grand piano that was the next to the other instruments she was polishing. "You're right though, I don't play in front of the club. But it's not because I'm not confident in my talent, it's just because I don't see the point in playing for an audience. It's not like I plan to play in a symphony one day, and even if I did decide to do so I'm sure I would get beaten out for the part by someone who was even better than me. But even if I don't see it as my future, music is still my life. And I just can't stand to see someone taking it so lightly. The point of orchestras, of music in general, is to inspire joy. To make people happy by having them listen to your music, that should be a musician's true goal. You may be talented but it doesn't change the fact that you're a mean-spirited bitch who spits on other people's dreams. Endou-senpai may not see you for what you are, but I do. That composition you submitted for your art school application. I know you stole it from one of the other girls in the club."

The blonde-haired girl's eyes widened. "How did you…?"

Then the girls were interrupted by the clubroom's door opening. "And this is the orchestra club's practice room. I don't think anyone's here so I can at least show you in…" Fuyumi looked inside the room and saw that the clubroom was not empty as she previously thought. "Oh sorry, we didn't mean to disturb. My cousin's starting school here tomorrow, so I was just showing him around." Fuyumi motioned to Takuya who was standing behind her.

"Hi, I'm Takuya Miyazaki. It's nice to meet you." Takuya waved at the girls.

The blonde-haired girl smiled in glee. "Fuyumi-chan, why didn't you tell me you were stopping by? I could have made sure that the clubroom was in proper order for your tour. Unfortunately, we're busy with cleaning today."

"Oh? I thought Endou-senpai said that the orchestra cleans their clubroom on Saturdays?" Fuyumi replied.

The blonde-haired girl giggled. "Yeah, well we kind of had a late start yesterday. Ayuka-chan, had important plans yesterday that she couldn't put off so we had to reschedule for today," she explained.

The auburn-haired girl glared at the blonde-haired girl. 'The one who had "important" plans yesterday was you. Because of that I couldn't practice today like I planned to do,' she thought to herself.

The blonde-haired girl looked to Takuya. "Anyways, where are my manners? I'm Yurika Owari, I'm a third year here at Yousha and the vice-president of the orchestra club. It's nice to meet you, Takuya-kun."

Then the auburn-haired girl bowed to Takuya and introduced herself. "And I'm Ayuka Yamasato. It's nice to meet you."

"Owari-senpai here has been with Yousha since she was in elementary school. And Yamasato-san just came here a year ago, she's in the same class as me," Fuyumi explained to Takuya.

Takuya nodded in understanding, and then observed the two girls. 'Owari-senpai seems nice…or at least it seems like she's pretending to be nice. And Yamasato-san…' Takuya stared at Ayuka. 'Huh, she's kind of hard to read.' But Takuya did manage to pick up on a slight unpleasantness that was in the air. 'Something was going on, right before we came here.' Ayuka noticed Takuya staring at her, and looked away from his gaze.

"So Takuya-kun, are you thinking about joining the orchestra club?" Yurika asked.

"Umm, yeah it crossed my mind," Takuya replied.

"Well unfortunately we're kind of scarce on instruments at the moment. All we have is a tuba, a bassoon, and a piccolo," Yurika explained.

"Umm actually I don't really know how to play any kind of instrument. But if I had to start off with something I think a guitar might be cool. Do you have any of those lying around?" Takuya asked. In response to his question the girls did the following things: Yurika sweatdropped, Fuyumi facepalmed herself and sighed in exasperation, and Ayuka softly giggled in the background. "What? What did I say?"

"Umm, Takuya-kun guitars aren't typically used in symphonic music. Our orchestra usually just plays classical symphonies, so we don't have any guitars on hand," Yurika tried to explain in simple terms.

"Oh is there a difference between the guitar and the other instruments you have here?" Takuya asked in a clueless manner.

"Guitars aren't used in classical music, for that you use other string instruments like the violin, viola, cello, or my personal favorite the harpsichord," Ayuka explained. "Guitars are more typically used in concerti music. Hence, the modern-day band term "concert". But it's not a surprise that you don't know those kinds of things. Most beginners typically don't know what instruments apply to what style of music."

"Wow, you seem really knowledgeable about all of this stuff," Takuya replied.

"Thank you, it's nothing really," Ayuka replied. "My family is really into classical music so I've been knowledgeable about those things since I was little. If you still want to join the orchestra we still have some room, and we can help you get more accustomed to classical music. But if your heart is set on playing the guitar, Yousha does offer a light music club."

"Light music?" Takuya seemed unfamiliar with the term.

"It's more like a modern-day band. They use guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, and drum sets," Ayuka explained.

"Well then why do they call it light music? Wouldn't heavy music be more appropriate?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka giggled again. "You're too much, Miyazaki-san. Or I guess I should call you, Miyazaki-kun then?"

"Call him whatever you want, it's not that important," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya sweatdropped. "I get it, I'm stupid when it comes to the arts. Sorry," he said with a sigh.

"Well it's never too late to learn," Yurika replied. "You're still welcome to join us if you wish."

"Hmm, is it okay if I take some time to think about it?" Takuya asked.

"Of course take all the time you need, our doors are always open," Yurika replied.

Ayuka glared at Yurika. 'Like you care about anyone but yourself.'

Takuya caught Ayuka's glare. 'There's definitely some tension between the two of them.' Then he sighed. 'Great, the girls of Yousha are just as troublesome as the boys.'

"Yurika, Yamasato-chan! Are you finished clea…?" Another person entered the room and stopped talking when they saw that Takuya and Fuyumi were also in the room. "Oh Miyazaki-chan, I didn't expect to see you here." Takuya and Fuyumi turned their attention to the person behind them and saw that the person who addressed them was an older-looking girl. She had beautiful, porcelain skin, long, orangeish-brown hair, and a pair captivating brown eyes. She wore the standard girl's uniform for Yousha, with no alterations to it just as Fuyumi wore hers. But she did wear a ladybug shaped barrette on the left side of her head and a red friendship bracelet on her left wrist. Takuya's eyes went wide the moment he laid eyes on her. The girl smiled at him. "And you must be Miyazaki-chan's cousin. I've heard a lot about you, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Michiko Endou, and I'm the Student Council President of Yousha Academy. I'm looking forward to having you join our school."

It was her, no doubt about it. The girl in the omen, the one Shinichi claimed was destined to die, was in fact the Student Council President of Yousha Academy.

* * *

A/N: The universe is pushing our young hero closer and closer to his destiny. The girl he has been searching for has finally revealed herself to him. Will he be able to prevent her tragic fate with his soon to be awakened powers? Stay tuned to find out.


	10. Chapter VII

A/N: Hmm, I sense a great unsettling within thy world. It is becoming more and more clear that someone or something is deliberately upsetting the balance of life and death. Thousands die in thy world each day, and thousands more are born into this world to keep the balance. But now, the balance has been distorted and now people in thy world die in horrific random ways. Accidents, suicides, murders. Alone these incidents could be seen as mere coincidence, but with the ever increasing quantity of these tragedies leads me to question that validity. There is more to these mindless tragedies, I am quite certain of it. But why? Why is this all happening? Why are so many random people dying before their designated time? Why are the dead not passing on as the balance so dictates? There are far too many questions at this point to make any clear assumptions. An investigation into these mysterious circumstances is required to proceed forward. Yes, I feel that the time for the rebirth of Persona is very close at hand.

I find this all very interesting. Children of man taking on the mantle of the noble Gods of Death, the Grim Reapers. That power fused together with the power of Persona, it is unimaginable as to what the end result will be. However, one thing is quite clear the outcome of thy world will surely fall to these gifted individuals. But whether that outcome is for the good of thy world, or if it shall bring about its ruin is still hard to tell. It will be up to our young hero to lead the gifted down the right path. I only wish that he is indeed ready for when that time comes and he is willing to save thy world, even if it means declaring his own life forfeit. Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter VII: Whispers and shadows**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Morning**

Takuya's eyes went wide the moment he laid eyes on her. The girl smiled at him. "And you must be Miyazaki-chan's cousin. I've heard a lot about you, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Michiko Endou, and I'm the Student Council President of Yousha Academy. I'm looking forward to having you join our school."

It was her, no doubt about it. The girl in the omen, the one Shinichi claimed was destined to die, was in fact the Student Council President of Yousha Academy. Without even thinking about it, Takuya simply blurted out, "It's you, it's really you," in disbelief. This of course made all the girls in the room give Takuya strange looks.

"Umm, I'm sorry have we met somewhere before?" Michiko asked in confusion.

Quickly realizing his slip of the tounge, Takuya made up an excuse for his comment. "Oh, no we haven't…not directly at least. I've just seen you before, though I can't really remember where." Then he chuckled awkwardly and added, "But now that I think about it might've been from an online photo that I saw when I was researching the school. I was just surprised to see a familiar face is all." As excuses went it was pretty sloppily put together but it seemed to satisfy Michiko at least.

She smiled. "Oh I see, that's probably the case. I do try hard to make Yousha's name well-known even outside of Japan. Thanks to everyone's hard work at improving the school's image we're slowly making Yousha Academy a universally-recognized brand. Including you, I'm pleased to say that we're getting a lot of students from all around the world. It's great that our family here keeps growing and growing."

Yurika sighed in exasperation. "Your priorities never will change, eh? This school is your first and only love. Good luck getting a boyfriend like that."

Michiko seemed embarrassed. "That's not true. I just feel so indebted to this place for all that it's done for us. If it weren't for Yousha, Yurika, you and I would be…"

"I know, I know, you don't have to explain. I love this school too, and to tell you the truth I'm really dreading graduation."

Michiko nodded. "So am I, I'm going to miss this place so much. And I'm especially going to miss all the cute little kouhai we're going to be leaving behind." Michiko frowned and then she began to sniffle. "Oh I can't stand it!" she began to bawl. Then she gabbed ahold of Fuyumi and held her tight. "Oh Miyazaki-chan please promise me that you'll keep in touch with us! I know I won't need to worry about the school, I know you'll make things here even better! I'm just going to miss you so much!"

Fuyumi seemed embarrassed by the hug and did her best to pry off Michiko. "Senpai! You're not graduating till next Spring! You don't have to get all emotional right now!"

Michiko released Fuyumi and then she began to calm down. "You're right, I shouldn't get so emotional now when I have a whole more year to enjoy my school life to the fullest. Yurika, you and I have to make sure that we make the most of our last year here."

Yurika sighed again. "I get it, I get it. Enough of the waterworks already." She giggled. "I swear, if you're acting this weird right now I can't wait to see how you're going to react when Hirabayashi-senpai comes back tomorrow."

Michiko's face immediately went red. "Shut up, Yurika. Why do you have to mess with me?"

"Because you're so fun to mess with," Yurika replied. "You can act like the elegant Student Council President all you want but it doesn't change the fact that deep down inside you're still the same smitten junior high schooler. Remember every single time he praised you, you would start blushing and making this really creepy smile. You had it really bad for him."

"Shut up!" Michiko exclaimed. "And don't pretend that you didn't have a crush on him either! I know you used to have a picture of him as your cellphone wallpaper!"

Yurika was embarrassed now. "H-How did you find out about that?!"

"I had to be aware of all my love rivals, even if those rivals happened to be my best friend," Michiko replied.

"You sound like such a stalker now!" Yurika exclaimed.

"Umm, excuse me? Endou-senpai? Owari-senpai?" Fuyumi spoke up. "It seems like the two of you are busy so maybe Takuya and I should just go and leave you to your business?"

Takuya sighed in exasperation. 'I'm glad you said something. That was getting way too awkward,' he thought to himself.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize how off topic we were getting," Michiko replied. "So, Miyazaki-kun, tell me. What do you think of Yousha so far?"

"It's great, I think I'm really going to like it here," Takuya replied.

Michiko smiled. "That's great to hear. So were you thinking about joining a club? We still have some room in our orchestra."

"Actually Endou-senpai, we were just discussing that before you walked in," Ayuka spoke up. "Miyazaki-kun said that he wants to think about it a little bit before he joins any club."

"Oh, I see. That's understandable, but just know if you do decide to join you won't be completely in the dark. Yurika, Yamasato-chan, and I will be sure to help you learn to be the best musician you can be," said Michiko.

"Oh so you're in the orchestra too, Endou-senpai?" Takuya asked.

"Yes, that's right. Yurika and I have both been in the club since we were in elementary school. And now along with being the Student Council President I'm also the orchestra club's president. We play at different events all around Tokyo, it's a really fun experience. So we would love to have you join us," Michiko explained.

"So you're part of a club even though you're already on the Student Council? Weird, Fuyumi said that she couldn't join a club precisely because she was busy with the Student Council," Takuya replied. That response issued a glare from Fuyumi.

"That's understandable, the Student Council at an…eccentric school is really busy. Any spare time I have goes to the orchestra club and my studies, so I rarely have any free-time at all. But it's worth it, I really care about my work and this school. Yousha and the orchestra, though I hate to admit it, Yurika might be right. Those two things might be my greatest loves." Then she blushed. "Well actually, maybe there is one person who I love more than anything else."

Yurika frowned and she seemed to get depressed. "…"

"…" Ayuka caught a glimpse of Yurika's reaction, but no one else seemed to see anything.

"Anyways, Yurika, Yamasato-chan? Did the two of you finish cleaning the clubroom?" Michiko asked.

Yurika's expression changed back to normal. "Umm, almost. We were interrupted by Fuyumi-chan and Takuya-kun. We should be done in a little bit."

"Well then why don't we all finish cleaning toge…" Michiko was cut off by another person entering the orchestra's clubroom.

A boy with slightly spiky brown hair and gray eyes, he wore the standard boys uniform for Yousha with no alterations. He appeared to have run all the way to the clubroom as he began to loudly pant. "Endou-senpai! Miyazaki-senpai!" the boy exclaimed when he had caught his breath. Since he called both girls senpai, it was safe to assume that the boy was a first year.

"Oh, Kimura-kun. To what do we owe the pleasure of the Student Council Treasurer gracing us with his presence?" Michiko asked.

"I was told that I could find you both here, Handa-senpai called an emergency Student Council meeting. He asked me to come and collect you two. Well actually more like shouted at me to come and collect you," Kimura replied.

"An emergency meeting? What's this about?" Michiko asked in confusion.

"All I know is that Handa-senpai cornered me in the halls earlier and asked me to find you two. But whatever this is about it sounds very urgent," Kimura explained.

Michiko nodded in understanding. "I see; we should probably go immediately then."

"Well anyway, I told you so I'm going to head back there myself. Make sure you're not too late or else Handa-senpai will get angry again," Kimura replied, before racing off down the corridor.

But then Michiko remembered something important. "Oh but wait, I had an errand to run in the city for the orchestra club. It concerns our next music venue, I was supposed to meet with the event planners and go over the details of our performance. I wasn't going to leave until the clubroom was fully cleaned."

"If you want I can handle that meeting, Michiko," Yurika replied.

Michiko turned to her friend. "Yurika? Do you think you can handle it?" she asked out of concern.

"What kind of vice president would I be if I couldn't handle things during the president's absence? It's no trouble really, you and Fuyumi-chan go to your Student Council meeting. I've got this," Yurika assured her friend.

Michiko smiled and nodded. "Very well then, I'll leave this to you. The meeting is at 12:00, it's at that location we both went to before to request the job. Remember?"

"Yeah, I've got it. No need to worry," Yurika replied.

Then Michiko turned to Ayuka. "Yamasato-chan, if it's not too much trouble, do you think you'll be able finish cleaning the clubroom on your own?"

Ayuka frowned and sighed. "No, it's no trouble at all."

Yurika gave Ayuka a demeaning smile, which caused Ayuka to glare at her. Both of the girl's facial expressions were overlooked by everyone except Takuya.

"Well then, now that that's settled I guess we should get going ourselves, Miyazaki-chan," said Michiko.

Fuyumi nodded. "Yes, Senpai." Then she turned to Takuya. "We're going to have to cut our tour short. The last building I needed to show you is the academy's main office building, that's where the headmaster's private office is. It's the big one directly at the back of the campus. You can't miss it. Grandfather's expecting you at 12:00 as well so make sure you don't keep him waiting."

Takuya nodded in understanding. "Got it."

Then Fuyumi and Michiko raced down the corridor just as Kimura had done before. Their destination, the Student Council room. Then Yurika collected her things and made her way to the clubroom's door. "I should get going now too. I have to go get changed before I go out into the city. Have fun cleaning," Yurika said as she waved goodbye to Ayuka. The gesture seemed good natured but Takuya couldn't help but get a cool feel from her words.

".." Ayuka seemed to get depressed over it as well, confirming Takuya's suspicions. Then Yurika left the clubroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Takuya and Ayuka alone in the clubroom.

For a few moments neither of them said a word, or even looked at each other. Ayuka looked really depressed, when Takuya first saw her before he couldn't help but notice that there was a sad look in her eyes but now she looked so much worse. It looked like she was about to cry. Takuya knew he had to do something to cheer her up, so he decided to break the ice. "So is it just me or is she a raging bitch?" he asked Ayuka.

"Huh?" Ayuka seemed confused by Takuya's sudden statement.

"Owari-senpai," Takuya clarified. "Sure she seems nice at first, but it just doesn't seem genuine to me. I feel like almost everything out of her mouth was a lie, not just that but her looks and mannerisms, they're all lies. Let me guess, in actuality she's the drama queen of the orchestra club and while pretending to be nice and caring when Endou-senpai and other witnesses are around, when their backs are turned she terrorizes the whole club. Am I right?"

Ayuka smiled and began to sweetly giggle. "You hit the nail on the head."

"Figured as much, there's a girl like that in every school. The mean spirited bitch who spits on everyone else's dreams," Takuya replied.

Ayuka continued to laugh, she laughed so hard that she ended up having to hold her voice back with her hand. Then when she calmed down a little bit she nodded and replied, "That's exactly what I told her. I mean sure, she's talented and all but that's no excuse for the way she acts." Ayuka clenched her fists. "She really pisses me off, she's a disgrace to all true musicians. Music should be about inspiration. The musician's only goal should be inspiring the listener and making them feel joy. It's as simple as that. But she feels the need to belittle others when they're trying their best to let out the music inside their hearts, and when tormenting them in the clubroom isn't enough she feels the need to torment them outside of it as well. I'm no exception."

"That's messed up. If she's the vice president of this club, then she should act like it. She should help her club members get better at playing instead of just ridiculing them when they mess up," Takuya replied. "Especially you, Yamasato-san. With how knowledgeable you are about all of this I would expect you to be the best musician in the club. You're probably way better than Owari-sen…no, you know what? If what you're saying is true, then she doesn't deserve any respect. You're probably way better than Owari."

Ayuka blushed. "Umm, that's sweet of you to say. But you haven't even heard me play anything before, how could you possibly know that I…?"

"It's just a feeling I have. The way you talk about all this stuff, you seem like you really love it. And a person who's doing something they love as much as you do, they have to be good at it. I know without even hearing you play that you're amazing, Yamasato-san," Takuya replied.

Ayuka seemed skeptical. "You claim to have a lot of these feelings, and you were dead on accurate about Owari-sen…Owari. Are you some kind of high school detective, Miyazaki-kun?"

Takuya shook his head. "That's not it, I can't really explain it. I guess I just learned to get good at reading people without even knowing it. It's a gut thing. And right now my gut is telling me that I have to hear you play. You said you love the harpsichord, right? Why don't you play me something on that?"

Ayuka seemed surprised by Takuya's request. "I…I'm not sure, it's been a while since I've played in front of anyone before. I don't even really play at club practice; I just sort of go through the motions."

"What's the problem? Do you have stage fright or something?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

Ayuka sighed and then she turned to the piano in the clubroom, and then she gently rubbed her hand across the lid of it. "One of the first memories I have was listening to one of Mozart's pieces. My family has always been really into classical music, and I'm no exception. I loved listening to it so much that one day out of the blue I started playing my family's grand piano. I tried playing along to the song and it only took a few tries before I was completely in the music's rhythm. My parents told me I had a gift and they inspired me to nurture that gift and use it to become a great musician like the ones I admired so much. I used to dream about playing in a big symphony one day, or maybe even have my own solo concert. The piano and then the harpsichord, I loved playing them so much. I couldn't get enough."

"So what happened?" Takuya asked out of concern.

"My little brother, Benzo, he was a really gifted musician too. He was only a year younger than me so from the day he was born I thought of him as not only my brother but as my best friend too. We used to put on these little concerts for our parents. I would play on the harpsichord and he would play on the piano, he was a much more gifted pianist than I was. It took him half the time I did to fully master some of the hardest compositions." While she was talking, Ayuka walked over to the front of the piano and pulled up the fall, revealing the keys. "He should be on his way to becoming a grand pianist now, and he should be here with me now as a first year." She started fiddling with the piano keys, making soft notes break the silent air. "He would be in the club with me, and together we would become the single best duo in here easily. We might have even been asked to headline at our venues." Then she held onto a sharp note key and let it ring out. "Things would be so perfect if he was here."

Takuya sighed. "He died, eh? I'm so sorry for your loss."

Ayuka nodded but didn't look at Takuya. "Thank you, I appreciate your sympathy."

"If I'm not being too forward, may I ask, how did he die?" Takuya asked.

"It's fine, my parents told me that it helps with the grief to talk to someone. Four years ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer." Ayuka clenched her fists tightly. "We were all scared but optimistic. I knew more than anyone that Benzo was a fighter, I knew for sure that with some hope and proper care he would be back to playing the piano again in no time." Ayuka tried to stop herself from crying but she let a single teardrop slip past her. "But I was wrong, he fought so hard and yet it still wasn't enough. Two years later my brother, my best friend, was taken away from me." Ayuka didn't even attempt to stop the tears from flowing now. "After that, I was lost. It hurt to play anything, it reminded me too much of Benzo and the pain I felt knowing that I would never see him again. If it weren't for my parents' insistence, I would have stopped playing then." She was crying so much that she was forced to sit down on the piano bench. Then she buried her face into the piano lid and cried her eyes out.

"…" Takuya silently crept over to Ayuka and sat down on the piano bench next to her. He hesitated, before rubbing her back in an effort to calm her down.

In response to his gesture, she turned to face him and then threw her arms around his neck. Then she pulled him into a hug and began crying into his shoulder, much like his cousin had done the day before. "I miss him so much," she mumbled into his dress jacket. Takuya then wrapped his arms around Ayuka and pulled her in closer. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Ayuka calmed down and her tears turned into sniffles. Then she pulled away from Takuya and looked up at him with puffy red eyes, then she released the hold she had over his neck and scooched further down on the piano bench. "Thank you, I needed that."

"No problem," Takuya simply replied.

Ayuka continued to sniffle but she began to talk once again. "I think that's the first time I've talked to anyone about my brother since I started school here. It felt good, letting go of all that pain. But I'm sorry, if I made you feel uncomfortable at all."

Takuya shook his head. "It's fine, truth be told, a friend of mine died recently too. So I can relate to what you're going through."

"Really? May I ask how they died? If I'm not being too forward that is," Ayuka replied.

"He committed suicide," Takuya simply replied. "He was being horribly bullied at school. You hear about it all the time, but you don't realize it's happing to someone close to you until it's too late. I learned that the hard way. There were warning signs I guess, but I must have ignored them, either that or I didn't want them to be true. He was my best friend, and I didn't even know he was in trouble. And because of that, not just his blood but the blood of fourteen victims, and six injured people is all on me."

"I'm so sorry, that's horrible," Ayuka replied.

Takuya sighed. "Your parents are right about one thing, talking about it does help. A counselor I saw before I transferred here told me the same thing. So listen, if you ever want to talk some more about Benzo or anything at all. I'll be there to listen and comfort you, if you want that is."

Ayuka smiled and giggled. "Thanks, I'd like that very much. And it's the same for me, if you ever want to talk some more about your friend, I'd be willing to listen too."

Takuya smiled at Ayuka. "I think I've made my decision about the orchestra club. I'm gonna join."

Ayuka seemed surprised. "What? You don't have to join just so you can talk to me. I'd feel guilty for making you worry about me so much."

Takuya shook his head. "No it's not that. I mean, sure you're a big part of the reason why, but I also think it might be really fun. I've always wanted to learn how to play some kind of instrument at least, even if it's the tuba, or the bassoon, or the…umm, what was that last one again? The one that sounds like that green guy from _Dragonball Z_?"

Ayuka giggled again. "The piccolo. It's sort of like a small flute, but with a bit more bells and whistles. And for your information that character, Piccolo, is actually named after a piccolo."

"Oh that makes sense," Takuya replied. And then the two students laughed together in glee. You would have never known that they had a heartfelt talk with each other just a few minutes ago.

Ayuka sighed. "Well, it's been really nice talking with you, Miyazaki-kun, but I guess I should get back to cleaning duty." Then he groaned. "Owari barely did anything when she was here so I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I usually use Sunday as my solo practice day too, but it looks like I'm not going to get to do that today."

"Well if you want I could stick around and give you a hand," Takuya replied.

Ayuka seemed surprised. "Huh? But I thought you had that meeting with your grandfather to go to?"

"It's not until 12:00," Takuya replied. Then he checked the time on his cellphone. "And it's only 10:34, right now. I've still got some time to spare before I have to head over there. So yeah, it's no problem at all."

Ayuka smiled. "In that case, I'll take you up on your offer. I'd love to have you help me, Miyazaki-kun."

"Still with Miyazaki? We're friends now, right? Just call me Takuya," said Takuya.

Ayuka's eyes widened. "Friends? You want to be friends? Are you sure?"

Takuya nodded. "Definitely, only friends would act as shoulders you can cry on, right?"

Ayuka giggled. "Your reasoning is weird, but I agree. Okay then, Takuya, I want you to just call me by my first name as well."

"Alright then, so where do you want me, Ayuka?" Takuya asked.

"Well before you and your cousin came in here, I was working on polishing and cleaning the instruments, so I haven't even started cleaning the room itself. There are some cleaning supplies in the back room over there, could you grab the duster and start doing that?" Ayuka asked.

"No problem, let me know if you need anything else," Takuya replied. Then he got up from the piano bench and ran over to the backroom.

Ayuka smiled. "Friends, huh?" she said muttered to herself.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Late Morning**

Ryuta Yanasai was a pariah of the worst kind, even amongst the delinquents and general trouble makers of Yousha Academy. Nobody would talk to him; people even went out of their way to avoid him. But he could feel their stares on him, their constant stares. They would look at him out of curiosity or fear, but every time he would turn to meet their stares they would move on and pretend that they were never watching him. It had been like this for years, always the center of this kind of attention. It never got any worse than this but those cold stares they gave him, they alone chipped away at his spirit. That's why he decided to come here to the boys' dormitory rooftop as soon as he collected a to-go breakfast from the dining hall. Here he could be free of those cold stares, of those malicious whispers, of that horrible fear he apparently instilled in others. He knew that eventually he would have to go back and face all those things again, but just for an hour, he wanted to feel like a normal boy again. The way he felt when he was back in middle school, before the incident. Before he was treated like monster in his hometown, before his relatives became frightened of him, before he resigned himself to move out here to Tokyo in order to make things better for his family.

As he chewed on the bread he got from the dining hall he stared up at the sky. He only cloud watched on occasion back when he lived in Nagoya, but since coming to Yousha he had done this increasingly more so. It seemed that the only thing that would clear his head and calm him down anymore would be to spend some time alone and cloud watch. Still he wished that he could have at least one friend to talk to in times like these. He thought about his new dorm neighbor, Takuya Miyazaki. He saw the story that Yousha Unmasked posted about him and the tragedy he was involved in last December. Of course being a victim of Yousha Unmasked himself, Ryuta knew at least half of whatever was written on that blog had to be less than truthful. It was the same thing with his story, the author of the blog basically slandered him and said that he was a true criminal, barely even mentioning the events surrounding his case. It didn't matter that he wasn't charged with anything, it didn't matter that he did what he did to protect his little sister, when people looked at him all they saw was that single event and nothing else. He was a killer plain and simple. Because he had taken a life he was guaranteed to do so again, that's the way society in general saw it.

"It's really easy to say that shit when you're acting as some anonymous boogeyman," Ryuta said to himself. He took a sip of the bottled milk he got from the dining hall. "I swear to God, if I ever find the scumbag behind that damn blog I'll…I'll…" Then he sighed. "Dammit. Is it always gonna be this way? Not just me, but Miyazaki and all the other people whose lives have been invaded by that bastard, even if I find out who that guy is it won't change anything. People will still only think of me as a killer, and they'll only think of Miyazaki based on his friend's actions. Public opinion of us will never change. Doesn't that bastard realize the damage he's done? Or does he just not care?" Ryuta was hopelessly lost. All he wanted was for things to go back to the way they used to be. Back when he lived in Nagoya and was beloved by his peers, back when he could spend every day with his little sister Natsu, back when things made sense. But that wasn't possible, all because he killed someone. It didn't matter that it was justifiable, it didn't matter that the bastard he killed threatened to kill him and his whole family. All that mattered was the fact that he killed. After that, people didn't see Ryuta Yanasai, they saw a murderer. Plain and simple.

Unbeknownst to Ryuta, someone was watching him from the shadows. A certain ghost named Shinichi. He was leaning against the rooftop railing and keeping a close eye on Ryuta. "Poor guy, I can tell he's almost at his limit." Ryuta couldn't see or hear Shinichi so there was no real need for the ghost boy to hide his presence from him. "But it's weird, I get the same sort of signal from him that I get from Takuya. Could it just be coincidence or is it something else? Could he have also stumbled into Limbo without me knowing it?" Shinichi sighed. "Limbo is a big place, it's possible I missed him. Either way though, this guy is important. I'm sure of it. He has something to do with Limbo, or maybe even something to do with our damsel in distress. I have to keep a close eye on him."

Ryuta guzzled down his milk and then squeezed the bottle and threw it as far as he could. "Dammit!" Then he buried his head into his hands. "If this is what the rest of my life will be like, then in that case, I'd rather just disappear. I want to leave and never come back, and go somewhere where I can be completely and utterly alone. Free from the stares, free from the whispers, free from my life," he said to himself.

And then a calm voice whispered into Ryuta's ear. " _Is that really what you want?_ "

Ryuta's eyes widened. Then he stood up and looked all around him in a frenzied panic. "Who's there?! Show yourself?!"

"Huh? Who's he talking to?" Shinichi asked himself. He appeared to be unable to hear the voice.

" _Calm down, I'm not your enemy here. Your enemy is much bigger than just one individual, it's society itself._ "

"Society?" Ryuta repeated in a confused manner.

" _Time and time again they continue to belittle you, to force the label of a murderer on you. As if to define you as a killer and nothing else. That's all you really are to them. A murderer, a menace to society, someone that the world wouldn't miss if you just disappeared._ "

Ryuta sighed and frowned. "You're right. Who would really miss me? My friends? They all stopped talking to me a long time ago. My family? They would be better off without me in their lives. And certainly not anyone here at Yousha. I'm even despised by delinquents and the unwanted."

" _That is where you are wrong. You are not despised by them; you are feared by them. Society fears what it does not understand. It's been that way since the dawn of time. Anything that's different or out of place is seen as trash in its eyes. And anyone or anything that defies the norms of society is kept out of sight from the public eye. This world is full of stupid, ignorant insects who think they have the right to do whatever they want and say whatever they want to those who do not fit into their "perfect" world. Why would anyone ever want to be part of such a rotten place? You wish to go someplace far away from these mindless insects, someplace where they can never hurt you ever again. But what if I were to tell you of a way you can get back at this world that has scorned you so horribly?_ "

"A way to get back at them?" Ryuta asked.

" _Yes, think about it. Everyone who looked at you with those suspicious eyes, everyone who whispered about you when your back was turned, everyone who treated you as less than human. What if you were able to make them disappear? I can take you to a place where you can obtain the power to rid the world of these mindless insects. If they want to fear you so bad, then give them a reason to fear you. Accept the power to change your destiny and one day you can rule this world and punish those insects who so vehemently denied you. Make them pay, make them suffer. If you just say yes, the power to do so will be within your grasp._ "

Ryuta's eyes started to change from bright violet to a bright gold, and a malicious grin took hold of his face. A dark aura began to surround him and soon he started to cackle manically. "You're right! What the hell am I doing whining about how pathetic my life is?! That's exactly what those bastards want me to do! They think I'm a monster, well then I'll show them a monster! I'll make every single one of those pieces of scum pay for throwing me away like trash!"

"What the fuck?! What's happening to him?!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"The answer is yes, yes a million times yes! Give me the power! Give me the chance to make those scumbags rue the day they ever crossed me! They want me to be a killer?! Well fine! I'll kill every last one of them! I'll make this world suffer as much as I have suffered!" Ryuta shouted.

"No way, I've never seen anything like this before," Shinichi said to himself as he began to cower. "What is this power that I'm sensing?"

"I'll use the fear that people have of me to kill all the scum of this earth! Along with anybody who gets in my way! So show me how I can make that dream into reality!" Ryuta shouted.

" _Very well, your quest for power begins here._ " Suddenly a mark began to appear on Ryuta's right arm. A series of black lines began to run across it until the lines morphed and formed an odd tattoo of a key with a skull-shaped handle. " _This is the key to your power. It shall work on any door, use it to gain access to a world beyond this one. In that world you shall find the power to make this one suffer as you wish. I wish you good luck in your quest. I hope you make for some enjoyable entertainment._ "

Ryuta cackled maniacally again. "Those bastards are dead! They're all dead!" And then he rushed over to the rooftop door and held his right arm up to the lock. The tattoo on his arm began to glow and then a loud unlocking sound could be heard from the door. Ryuta opened the door and was greeted with the sight of another world on the other side. He walked in and closed the door behind him.

And then the rooftop was completely silent. It took about half a minute for Shinichi to work up the courage to walk up to the door and then open it to see if Ryuta was on the other side. All that was there was the flight of stairs that led down to boys' dormitory's fifth floor. There was no sign of the other world that Ryuta went into. "Shit. No doubt about it, he went into Limbo. But why? And how?" He closed the door and then began to think about what he had just bore witness to. "One minute he was depressed about that blog he was muttering about, and the next minute he's like a completely different person. Those gold eyes, that dark aura, and that black tattoo. It seems oddly familiar."

And then Shinichi's eyes widened in pain and he grabbed ahold of his head and screamed in pain. Then he dropped to the ground and began to shake. "Shit, what's going on?! What is this feeling?!" It was if a white hot poker was branding the inside of Shinichi's head. The pain he felt was excruciating. "Sha-Shadow! P-P-Persona! Must…stop…them!" he blurted out incoherently. Then another minute later the pain subsided and he panted intensely. After that he calmed down he stood back up on his feet. "What was that just now? Was that a memory? But what does it all mean? Shadow? Persona? What exactly am I remembering?" Then Shinichi looked back to the door. "And more importantly, what does Takuya, that guy, and Limbo have to do with it?"

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Thanks to Takuya's help, it only took about half an hour for Ayuka to finish cleaning the orchestra clubroom. "Wow that went faster than I was expecting," said Ayuka. "Thank you for all your help."

"No problem," Takuya replied. "And now you can finally practice in peace. I've still got some time though, so would you mind if I stuck around and watched your practice?"

Ayuka blushed. "I…I don't know; it's been so long since I've let anyone hear me play anything. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but we just met today. Even if we are friends now, I still barely know you so…"

Takuya cut her off. "I get it, it's fine. Take your time, and when you feel ready I'd be happy to listen to you play."

Ayuka smiled. "You really are a great friend."

Takuya chuckled. "Yeah, well don't forget to tell Endou-senpai that I'm joining the club when you get the chance. For now, I guess I better get to my grandfather's office. He'll get mad if I blow him off again today. So, see you later." Takuya waved Ayuka off and then made his way to the clubroom door. But when he went to open the door he was suddenly struck with intense pain. His eyes widened and he let out a horrible scream. He dropped to the floor and gripped his head tightly with his fingers, in fear that it might split apart if he didn't do so. The pain he felt was so horrible that it was almost like an icepick was being bored through his head.

"Takuya! What's wrong?!" Ayuka rushed over to Takuya's side in concern. She crouched down to his level and tried to get him to calm down.

"I…I…I…I…!" The pain Takuya was feeling was unimaginable, he could barely keep himself from passing out, much less respond to Ayuka's question.

Ayuka pressed the palm of her hand against Takuya's forehead. "You're burning up. Do you want me to take you the nurse's office?"

Takuya pushed her away. "No…no…I…I'm fine…" Takuya managed to say. And then he screamed in pain again.

"You are not fine! Now come on, I'm taking you to the nurse's office!" Ayuka tried to force herself under Takuya's arm so she could pull him up off the floor.

Takuya breathed heavily and then tried to give Ayuka some help in getting up off the floor. He tried to put some weight on his legs but then his knees ended up buckling and he fell to the floor again. 'What is this pain? I've never felt anything so intense before,' Takuya thought to himself.

" _Thou art dying,_ " a voice whispered in his ear.

"…" Takuya's eyes widened in fear.

" _An acquaintance of thee, has stumbled into the realm of the spirits. An unknown force has instilled in them a dark rage which left unchecked will eventually swallow them whole. This force has promised them power by journeying into the realm of the spirits, which thou refers to as Limbo. However, this is not the power that thou shall soon obtain. This is a dark malevolent power that will destroy anything in its path. This malevolent force which has the ability to instill this dark power within people is most likely the cause of the distortion with thy world. As such, thou must find thine acquaintance and save them from this overwhelming darkness that surrounds them. But to do this thou must venture into Limbo as well._ "

"But why do I have to die?! I've been there before and didn't even know it! Why do I have to die, dammit?!" Takuya shouted at the voice.

"Takuya? What's going on? Who are you talking to?" Ayuka asked out of concern.

Takuya ignored Ayuka and shook himself free of her grasp. "Answer me dammit! Why do I have to die?! Why here?! Why now?!"

"Takuya, you're scaring me. What do you mean you're dying?" Ayuka asked.

Still her voice fell on deaf ears. "Why am I dying?! Answer me!" The more Takuya shouted, the more pain echoed throughout his body. It was as if he was being continuously stabbed inside his body, over and over again.

" _A God of Death, is neither living, nor dead. It is something in between. In order to obtain the power, thou seeketh to save thy acquaintance, thou must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Thou must die._ "

"So this is…the only way, eh? If I die…then I can become…a Grim Reaper?" Takuya calmly asked as he continued to breathe heavily.

"Grim Reaper? Takuya, what are you talking about?" Ayuka asked. "Please, talk to me. You're really scaring me."

Takuya sighed. "Fine then…I accept my destiny. If it means saving everyone else…saving the world…then I'll gladly give up my own life."

" _Excellent. This is the first step in thy transformation. The next step lies in Limbo. To get there, thou shalt need the key."_ Then a series of blue lines suddenly appeared on Takuya's right arm. They twisted and morphed until they formed another skull handle key-shaped tattoo, similar to the one that appeared on Ryuta's arm. Only this one was a bright blue instead of a dark black. _"Use this key to journey deep into Limbo, beyond where the spirits dwell, and thou shalt realize the true power of a Grim Reaper and the power of Persona._ "

Takuya could hear the beating of his heart, it was getting slower. It was really true he was dying. "What happens if I die before I can become a Reaper?" he asked.

" _Then thy soul shalt remain trapped in Limbo for all eternity, and thy destiny shalt never be completed._ "

Takuya sighed. "It can never…be easy, eh?" Then he turned to Ayuka. "Ayuka, this is going to…sound really weird but I need you to…be onboard with me for this, otherwise I'm not sure I'm…going to make it."

Ayuka was scared but she nodded none the less. "Umm, okay."

"Good, now first…thing's first. Look at…my arm," said Takuya.

Ayuka nodded and saw the tattoo that had appeared on Takuya's arm. "What?! Where did that come from?!"

"Nevermind, just raise…my arm up to the door, and angle it…so that the key lines up with…the keyhole on the…doorknob," Takuya replied.

"But how will that…?" Ayuka was skeptical.

"Please, you…have to trust me. I don't know how I know…but I know this will work," Takuya replied weakly.

Ayuka was still scared but she did what Takuya instructed her to do none the less. She grabbed his arm and then aligned the key with the door's keyhole and then to her amazement, the tattoo began to glow brightly. And then a loud unlocking sound could be heard from the door. Ayuka's eyes widened. "What did I just…?!"

"Don't worry…about that now," said Takuya. "Right now, you need to help…me out of this room…I think I can walk a little if…you can just get me through the door."

Ayuka could tell that Takuya's life was in danger somehow, so she just decided to go with the flow and do as he said for the time being. "Okay, come on." Ayuka threw Takuya's right arm over her shoulders and then helped him off the floor. "Heave-ho." Now that Takuya was back on his feet, he and Ayuka walked closer to the door. Then Ayuka opened it and the two walked out into the fourth floor corridor of the arts and clubs building. Only it wasn't as they had left it before. All the clubrooms, once abundant with talking and laughter from other clubs were empty and dark. Not a sound could be heard throughout the whole corridor. Not only that, but the appearance of the hallway seemed eerie, it was very dark like it was already nighttime outside, and trash and debris appeared to litter the floor. "What?! What's going on?! Where are we?!" Ayuka shouted.

"We're still in the arts…and clubs building…but if I had to guess this is how…it appears in Limbo," Takuya explained.

"What?!" Then Ayuka noticed something else. "Why is the clubroom on the right side of the hall?! It should be on the left?!"

"Hmm, that's weird. Must be…another of Limbo's tricks," Takuya replied.

"You keep saying that! What's Limbo?! How are you not freaked out by any of this?!" Ayuka shouted.

Takuya pulled his arm off Ayuka's shoulder and then grabbed ahold of the hallway's wall. "No time to explain…come on…if my hunch is right…we've got to keep going forward." Then he limped across the hallway by using the wall as leverage.

"Am I the only one who's weirded out by all of this?!" Ayuka shouted as she walked behind him.

Takuya continued to limp down the hallway until he reached the staircase. Takuya then called out to Ayuka. "I figured out why the clubroom is…on the other side of the hall. The building is in the…opposite direction. That's why…everything is in reverse. Satisfied?"

"No, that doesn't satisfy me at all! Why did you suddenly collapse earlier?! Who were you talking to?! What did you mean before when you said you were going to die?! What's that tattoo on your arm?! What the hell is this place?! And why the hell are you not freaked out by all of this?! How long are you going to keep me in the dark?!" Ayuka shouted at Takuya.

Takuya weakly chuckled. "That's a lot…of questions," he simply replied. Then he tried to walk down the staircase, only to be stopped by Ayuka who grabbed ahold of his dress jacket collar.

"No! We're not going to go another step until you tell me what the hell is going on!" Ayuka shouted in Takuya's ear.

"God! Would you shut the hell up already?!" Takuya and Ayuka heard someone shout at them. "Geez, so damn annoying! You sound like a fucking broken record, you stupid bitch!"

Ayuka's eyes widened in fear. "D-Did you say that? Please tell me it was you," Ayuka whispered to Takuya in fear.

Takuya shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

Someone was laughing at them. "It's really pathetic how you just cling to him like that. You've only known him for what? A little over an hour now? And he's already acting as your knight in shining armor? Give me a break. You know, that's how he operates with everyone. He seems like a good guy at first, but believe me when I say that deep down in the end all that bastard cares about is himself. He's beyond selfish. If it came down to you and him in the end, don't think he wouldn't choose to save his own skin in a heartbeat. You don't believe me? Say that to his former friend that he left to die back in Los Angeles. He might've told you that his friend was being horribly bullied and the actions that his friend responded with, but I bet he didn't tell you that what happened is his fault. Whether he wants to admit it or not. Admit it, you knew what Chris was planning to do. You were just too much of a coward to confront him about it. You were more afraid of the blowback this could have on you than you were of losing your own friend. You're no better than those bullies, you saw what was happening, and you did nothing!"

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Takuya shouted in anger.

"Who am I?" the person chuckled. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" Then a person appeared at the bottom of the four flight of stairs. Takuya and Ayuka were shocked to see that the person who had appeared to them was none other than…Takuya. He looked exactly like him save for the golden eyes and the wicked smile on his face. "I'm you. The part of you that you're too chicken shit to show the world. I represent your inner self. The selfishness in your heart. Need more information or have you figured it out yet?"

Takuya's eyes widened. "You…you're my Shadow."

"Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! That's right, I am a Shadow, the true self. And it's about time we had a little talk," Shadow Takuya replied.

* * *

A/N: Our hero has come face to face with his ugly inner self. How will he prevail in this encounter? Only time will tell.


	11. Chapter VIII

A/N: There exists an inner darkness within all of us. This darkness is monstrous, and so uncontrollable that we push it down deep inside of our hearts in order to avoid our confrontation with it. For quite some time, thy world has developed a name for this darkness. Shadows. And as ye all probably know, Shadows can take many different shapes and forms. There are Shadows that embody the mind, Shadows that embody the heart, and even Shadows that embody darkness itself. Many special individuals throughout history have dealt with these creatures of pure darkness, and they have all prevailed victorious. But now a new challenge is being presented to thy world, in the form of the realm of spirits, known simply as Limbo.

As we have heard thusly from our hero's travels and the information given to him by his new ghostly acquaintance, Limbo is where all spirits go before passing onto the afterlife. However, due to thy world's distorted balance of life and death, these poor spirits are unable to pass on. And in some extreme cases, are wreaking havoc among the living. Shadows exist in both an individual's heart and mind, but what of their spirit? Is it not possible for a person to have a dark side to them even if they are not amongst the living? Further investigation is required for this theory to be certain, but if it is proven true then that means the spirits wreaking havoc are in fact being controlled by their Shadows.

This could apply to the living as well as our young hero has now come across his own Shadow. A very interesting development indeed, even in previous cases of people coming into contact with their Shadows, the holder of the Wild Card never once had to face their inner demons. It appears that our young hero is something very unique indeed. He is not just a blank slate that is waiting to be filled in like the previous Wild Card holders. No, it appears that he is deeply damaged as well, and for him to become the true hero that thy world deserves, he must overcome his own darkness. Or else there may be very dire consequences.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter VIII: Sin Eater, the Reaper of Regret**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Takuya's eyes widened. "You…you're my Shadow."

"Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! That's right, I am a Shadow, the true self. And it's about time we had a little talk," Shadow Takuya replied.

"Shadow?! What's a Shadow?! Takuya what is going on?! Why does that guy look so much like you?! What else aren't you telling me?!" Ayuka shouted.

Shadow Takuya grunted. "I thought I told you to stop talking, bitch?! All your endless questions are giving me a freaking headache!" He rubbed his temples in frustration, and then when he was calm again he continued to speak. "Alright, you want to know what's going on so bad? Fine, I'll tell you," he said to Ayuka. "This world is not your own, it's a mirror image of it where spirits are forced to roam. A world that we've recently started to refer to as Limbo."

"Spirits?" Ayuka repeated in fear. "You mean this is the afterlife? Are we really dead?"

"Shut up, already! I wasn't finished explaining!" Shadow Takuya shouted at her. Then when Ayuka quieted down he continued to explain things to her. "This isn't the afterlife, it's the place in between your world and the afterlife. But for one reason or another, the gateway to the afterlife has been shut tight for quite some time now. So none of the people who have died since then have been able to pass on. So to answer your question, no, you're not dead. Well at least you aren't. Him, he's knocking on death's door, as we speak."

"…" Takuya cringed in pain and held onto his heart tightly.

"It hurts, doesn't it? I should know, I'm the one doing it to you," Shadow Takuya said with a wicked smile.

Takuya was confused. "What?! You're doing…this to me?!"

"Yep, you feel that intense burning sensation in your chest, that's not heartburn. That's me, trying to break free of your worthless mortal body. What don't tell me you thought it was our mutual acquaintance the butterfly who was doing this to you? Nope, it's been me the whole time. It just took some time for the real damage to show," Shadow Takuya replied.

"You're doing this to him?! Can't you see he's in horrible pain?!" Ayuka shouted at Shadow Takuya as she held onto Takuya's back and did her best to ease his pain by rubbing him. "Stop it right now!"

"Sorry, no-can-do. All this pain is necessary for my goal," Shadow Takuya replied.

"What goal?!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Well it all started the first time you appeared in Limbo. You see that idiot Shinichi wasn't the only one to notice you, a "certain someone" noticed your presence as well," said Shadow Takuya.

"A "certain someone"?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, I didn't get the pleasure of meeting them in person but I could hear their voice calling to me even from deep inside of you," Shadow Takuya explained. "You see; most Shadows aren't able to manifest themselves under normal circumstances. We lurk inside the deepest parts of the mind, heart, and soul. We are your inner darkness, only allowed to show ourselves when you want to see us. And the rest of the time we're no better than prisoners trapped in a cage made of flesh and bone. But this "certain someone" has the ability to free us from our inner chains and allow us to rise to the surface and take over our captors. They pulled the same trick on a friend of yours not that long ago. I guarantee his Shadow's completely swallowed him whole by now. But for some reason I couldn't manage to take you over like that, that "certain someone" thought it was odd as well as your friend wasn't their first victim. They've done it to the living and non-living a like."

"What?!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Yeah, I don't really know the details but apparently this "certain someone" has a power similar to the one that the butterfly and the old man with the long nose offered you. And with that power he's able to awaken a person's Shadow. They've done it quite a lot. But it appears they were right about you, you are very special indeed. You see most living people can't stumble into Limbo unless they're Shadows are awakened by that "certain someone". That's how your friend got there. But you, you managed to wander in here all by yourself. You're very special, which is why that "certain someone" finds you so very interesting. But enough about that person, let's move on to me. Do you have any idea why I'm trying to kill you right now?" Shadow Takuya asked him.

"None…at all," Takuya replied.

"Well it actually concerns you, we Shadows are just the dark part of our host. You would think that when our hosts die, we die as well, right? Well thanks to the distortion that's affecting your world right now the tides have changed a bit. According to that "certain someone" if you die now, we can fully take control of your spirit and live out the rest of our days here in Limbo as Shadow Spirits. The name's a little on the nose, but I think it gets the point across, don't you?" Shadow Takuya asked.

"And let me guess…the weird events and tragedies…that are happening in the world of the living…are being caused by these…Shadow Spirits, is that about right?" Takuya asked.

"That's right, Limbo brings out a Shadow's true power as that "certain someone" soon realized. And now they're trying to fill Limbo up with as many Shadow Spirits as possible. If I had managed to take control of you in the world of the living I would've been able to drag you into Limbo and kill you off right then and there, but like I said you're special. So I had to try and kill you before I could drag you here into Limbo. But now that you're here, it will be only a matter of minutes until you die and I take your spirit as my own vessel. I'll become a Shadow Spirit just like the others," Shadow Takuya explained.

Takuya weakly chuckled. "Screw that. No way in hell…am I going to end up as some…damn Shadow puppet. I came here for one…reason and one reason only. To become a…Grim Reaper," Takuya replied.

"What? There's Grim Reapers now, too? I could barely keep track of the whole Shadow thing," said Ayuka. "I did manage to pick up this much though. Takuya, he's the one that's hurting you, right? So if we stop him then that should make your pain stop, right?"

Shadow Takuya scoffed. "Try if you want, but it's useless. Here in Limbo, I'm stronger than you could possibly imagine. And I will destroy anyone and anything that gets in my way."

"Don't listen…to him, Ayuka," Takuya replied. "He can pretend all he wants…but I know the truth. He's my Shadow…which means he's the part of myself…that I hate. He's not my selfishness…he's my cowardice," Takuya said with a small smirk.

Shadow Takuya's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I don't hate myself…because I was too selfish to help Chris. I hate myself…because I was too much of a coward to do so. The real truth to my darkness…is cowardice and nothing but," Takuya replied. He did his best to stand up straight, while still leaning on the wall for support. "I admit it. I knew that Chris…was having problems at school. I even saw…him getting picked on once or twice. I was just too…much of a coward to do…or say anything about it. I tried helping…from a distance instead. I wrote anonymous notes…to the teachers and guidance counselor. I even tried talking…to the principal. But nothing worked. All they did was assure me…that they would look into the matter…and talk to the people I…accused of bullying Chris." Takuya shook his head. "But that didn't…solve anything, and I think…part of me knew it wouldn't either. The bullies just told them…a simple story about it being good natured fun…and that was the end of it. There wasn't even…any disciplinary action taken. Then one day when I was…at his house, I stumbled upon his journal. I knew it wasn't right to…read it, but I was concerned. And what I saw inside…were Chris' true feelings of pain…and anguish. I also found a list of students…who I knew were messing with Chris, and a whole…lot more who I didn't know about. I knew that if I didn't do something…soon, Chris would either end up hurting…himself or someone else."

Teardrops fell out of Takuya's eyes as he continued to speak. "But still…I didn't have the nerve to do…what I knew I should've done in…the first place." The anguish was adding to the physical pain that Takuya was already feeling. "I didn't…confront him. I didn't even try…to confront the bullies. I was too much of a coward…to get involved. I was afraid that I would end up…being bullied too. Or even worse, that I would…lose Chris as a friend forever. So I just chose…to let Chris pretend to be happy, while…knowing full well that he wasn't. Those bullies didn't just kill him…I killed him too. And I have to live…with that guilt for the rest of my life."

Then Takuya weakly chuckled. "But Chris was…an idiot as well." He dried his tears with his free hand and then glared at his Shadow. "Because he didn't once think of any…other option than that ensuing tragedy. I realize he was in pain…but that doesn't excuse what he did. Some of those students he killed…weren't even on his list…they were just in the wrong place at the…wrong time." Takuya began to breathe even more heavily, and his heartbeat began to grow weaker and weaker. "Chris may have been a victim…but he was a coward as well. It's been months since then…and I've endured as much shit as he did. I may have faltered a few times…I might've even thought about taking the easy way out…like Chris did. But I kept going, because…I realized that I never wanted to be…a coward ever again. And yesterday I found out about a way…that I can make that happen. I'm going to make up for my past sins…by doing something noble, something that I will…gladly sacrifice my life for. I'm going to save…the world."

"Bull shit! Like you could save anybody! Selfishness, cowardice, call me whatever you want! As long as you have me inside you, you'll just be as pathetic as you've always been! You can't change no matter what you do! You're going to be a coward until the day you die!" Shadow Takuya shouted at Takuya. And then he malevolently chuckled. "Which is going to be in the next few minutes by my calculations. I can feel your heartbeat getting slower, it won't be long until you're gone. And I'll be all that remains."

Takuya scoffed and shook his head. "I'm not going…anywhere. I finally get it. You're the one who's…killing me. But in order to truly be reborn…I'm not the one who has to die. It's my former self who has to die." All of a sudden Takuya's eyes began to change color, from green to blood red. "I'm never going to hesitate ever again. If someone needs help, then I'll be there to give them it. I won't ever let anyone else be in pain." Takuya's breathing started to become regular, and he no longer needed to lean against the wall to stand up. His heartbeat began to return to normal, and then it slowly increased its speed. "All the lost souls who dwell in this Godforsaken place, I will save them. Everyone who is in danger from the Shadow Spirts' wrath, I will save them. And anyone else in the world of the living who is in pain, I will save them as well. I will save everyone, even if it means sacrificing my own life!" he shouted at his Shadow. Then a glowing blue aura began to surround him, which surprised Ayuka.

"Takuya? Wh-What's going on now?" Ayuka asked.

Takuya looked back at her and smiled. "I'm about to be reborn. Now listen up, Ayuka. I don't know exactly what's going to happen, but just know everything's going to be alright. And I promise, I'll explain everything to you after this is over."

Ayuka was hesitant before nodding. "Okay, I trust you." Then she backed away from Takuya and let him proceed with his rebirth.

Takuya turned back to face his Shadow and glared at him. "I'm going to erase you; I'm going to destroy your entire existence."

Shadow Takuya backed away from Takuya in fear. "Wh-What's going on?! What's happening to you?!"

"It looks like a Shadow isn't the only thing that can obtain power in here. Apparently the worthless husk can too," Takuya replied in a demeaning tone.

And then a raspy voice whispered in Takuya's ear. " _The time has come at last. It is time for thy rebirth. Thou hast a great darkness inside thyself, but an even greater source of light. I can help thee realize thy true potential, if thou lets me that is. Thou wishes to save everyone that has been affected by the horrible distortion that has cursed the realm of spirits. The means to do so is within thy grasp, but before thee proceed to obtain this power, thou must make the ultimate sacrifice. The cost of thine own life is required to tread down this perilous road that lies ahead of thee. If thou says yes, then I shall grant thee all my power to use as thee see fit. Thou shalt become a being beyond life and death, a powerful Shinigami, but only if thee gives me thy life in return. Does thou accept this deal?_ "

"You bet I do! Now give me the power to crush my inner darkness!" Takuya shouted.

The raspy voice maliciously cackled. " _Very well then, the deal is stuck. In exchange for thy life thou shalt be reborn as a powerful Shinigami. Thou art I, I am thou. I am the Shinigami known as Zenbyou, and through thy death we shall become one. One mind, one heart, one spirit. I shall become the new darkness to accompany thy light. So let us stride forth together down this perilous path and reap the souls of all who stand in our way!"_ And then it appeared at last. Takuya's Persona, Zenbyou. He had a lanky light black torso, which was so thin that you could see his ribs and bones. He also had a pair of large black skeletal wings which were spread open. He wore a dark black cloak that was slightly open, allowing you to see his torso, and he also had a set of flaps in the back of it that allowed his wings to fit through. His fingers and toes were very long and had sharp talon-like nails on them. His cloak's hood was down so you could also make out his face. His face was an extremely pale white, and he had a malicious looking smile and a pair of blood red eyes. His ears were pointed, almost goblin-like, and he had black spiky hair. He also carried a large black scythe with a skull topper that had the scythe's blade pop out of its teeth, the blade was sharp to the touch and so shiny that it was reflective.

At that point Ayuka yelped and fell to the floor, landing hard on her bottom. "That's…that's…a Sh-Sh-Shi-Shinigami?!"

"No freaking way! A Persona?!" Shadow Takuya exclaimed.

" _Now let us complete the contract,_ " said Zenbyou. He raised his scythe over his shoulder and then he asked Takuya, " _Any last words?_ "

"Death to my former self," Takuya simply said.

Zenbyou cackled. " _Well said._ " And then he swung his scythe back and brought it down to his neck and chopped off Takuya's head.

Ayuka screamed in horror. "Takuya!" Takuya's head flew through the air until it fell to the floor, along with his now headless body.

" _Through death, comes rebirth,_ " said Zenbyou. Then his eyes began to glow and suddenly Takuya's body and head began to disintegrate and then they turned into a series of small lights that flew up into the air and then disappeared. Then Zenbyou spun his scythe around in the air and then forced it down below and used the blade to cut open the hallway floor. " _Rise and take on your new mantle, Sin Eater._ " Then the cut in the floor began to grow until a large crack formed in the hallway floor, and then the crack opened and formed a fissure. Then something came out of the fissure in the floor, it was a person who was shrouded in a bright blue aura. They floated up to the top of the fissure and then the fissure below them closed and became solid ground once again. It was as if there never was a crack in the floor to begin with. Then Zenbyou disappeared, leaving Ayuka, Shadow Takuya, and the person with the aura alone in the hallway. The person's aura soon disappeared and silence filled the air.

The mysterious person was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, that had a design of a human skeleton's torso on the front of it. And on the back of the hoodie the words _Sin, Baby Sin_ were stitched in bright blue. They wore a pair of black trousers that had blanket stitches all over them for an added design. And they also wore a pair of tennis shoes with a scythe design on the side of them that sort of looked like the Nike logo.

"W-Who are you?" Ayuka asked the hooded person. The hooded person turned to face Ayuka and then they pulled down their hood so Ayuka could see their face. The hooded person revealed themself to be Takuya, who now had red eyes and a serious expression. "T-Takuya?"

He smirked. "The one and only. Sorry you had to see all of that, I bet it was intense. I mean I died, but I knew I was going to come back. You probably thought I was dead for good, right?"

"You idiot! You nearly scared me half to death!" Ayuka shouted at him.

Takuya chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, again sorry about all that. But it was the only way for me to awaken to my powers."

"Powers? What do you mean? And why do you look like that?" Ayuka asked.

"I'm a Grim Reaper now, well I guess technically a Shinigami since that's what my Persona is," Takuya replied.

"Persona? You mean that ugly goblin thing?" Ayuka asked.

"Yeah, though I'm pretty sure he prefers Zenbyou," Takuya said with a sweatdrop. "It's a long story, but basically he's like my inner self. And the only way I could awaken him was to give my life to him. And now that I've done that I can summon him whenever I want."

"And the new clothes?" Ayuka asked.

"I guess this is my Reaper outfit, Zenbyou said my mantle is Sin Eater," Takuya replied. "And now that I'm a Shinigami I have a lot of power in this world."

Ayuka sighed in exasperation. "This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Watching you die exhausted me, I think I'm just going to stop trying to make any sense of this. Just promise me you'll explain everything to me fully when we get out of here."

"Hello, are you forgetting about someone?!" Shadow Takuya shouted. "I don't care if you have gotten a little juiced up. It doesn't change the fact that I'm not letting you get out of here alive!"

"You don't have power over me anymore. I've been reborn, so I have no use for you now," Takuya said as he turned back to face his Shadow. "And now I intend to keep good on my last words. I'm going to destroy the darkness inside me and get you under control."

"Bastard! Don't you dare think that you're better than me! You're just a damn coward! You don't have what it takes to beat me!" Shadow Takuya shouted.

"I'm not afraid anymore, and I'm going to prove it," Takuya replied. Then he held out his left arm and pulled up the hoodie sleeve. Suddenly another tattoo began to appear on his arm, it was a bright blue skull and cross bones with two scythes replacing the bones and an added pair of wings to the back of the skull. "I've awakened to the power of Persona and the power of a Shinigami," he said and then he rolled his sleeve back up and lowered his left arm. Then he stretched out his right arm, and suddenly a scythe similar to Zenbyou's appeared in his hand, and he clenched his fist tightly around it. "And I'm going to use those powers to beat you."

"Stop acting like you're so damn better than me! We're the same damn person inside and out! Admit it already, you're just as selfish as I am!" Shadow Takuya shouted.

Takuya shook his head. "Not anymore." Then he used his left hand to pull his hood back over his head. "You're a coward, and I never want to be that person ever again. Get it through your thick skull already, you…are…not…me!"

Shadow Takuya's eyes widened and then he simply glared at Takuya. A dark aura began to surround him which continued to grow in size with each passing second. "Fine, you don't want to admit it?! Then I'll make you admit it! By the end of this, only one of us is going to be standing here! This is a fight to the death, you hear me! If you don't want me to be you, then I'll just be someone better! Let's prove which one of us deserves to exist more! The host or the Shadow?!"

"I'm neither, I'm something you can never be!" Takuya shouted at his Shadow. "I'll prove to you just how different we are!"

Shadow Takuya cackled wickedly. "Don't underestimate me, you damn bastard!" Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Takuya whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Shadow Takuya now wore a large billowing dark gray, hooded cloak which covered everything except for his hands which were covered by a pair of black gloves, and he also wore a white sash over his shoulders that had Enochian symbols written on it in black. The hood was pulled completely over his head, so his face was impossible to make out. He also had four large, white feathery wings which crossed his back in an X formation. He held a large sword in his right hand that had a golden cross for the handle. "I am a Shadow, the true self! As punishment for your sins, I sentence you to death!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted while brandishing his sword.

Takuya gripped his scythe tightly and then brandished it as well. "Been there done that! It's your turn to die you ugly bastard!"

"Insolent fool! I will smite you!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted.

"I don't really get it, but go get him, Takuya!" Ayuka cheered.

Takuya nodded. "Takuya Miyazaki, you have committed the sins of selfishness and cowardice. Because of you, my dear friend Chris DeBlanc committed suicide, and killed fourteen people and injured six others. And I, Sin Eater, shall feed off those sins in order to purify you. Prepare to reap the sins that you've sown!" Takuya shouted.

* * *

A/N: Our hero has awakened to his power and shall now use said power to destroy the darkness that festers inside of him. Will he claim victory or be defeated by his Shadow? Stay tuned to find out.


	12. Chapter IX

A/N: Our young hero must now face his inner darkness. Will he claim victory or will his destiny end before it can truly begin? Let's see shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter IX: A coward and a rabbit**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

The girl was woken to the sound of her phone ringing. She stirred a little before fully waking up. Then she lifted her head from her desk and was blinded briefly by the light of her PC's screen saver. After adjusting her eyes to the light she rubbed them and then yawned deeply. Then she picked up her phone and checked to see who was calling her. Then she answered the phone in an exhausted tone. "Why are you calling me so early in the morning?"

" _It's almost noon,_ " the person on the other line of the phone replied. The voice was masculine, so it was probably a boy about her age.

The girl checked the time on her PC. "So it is, sorry about that."

The boy sighed. " _You were up all night on your computer again, weren't you? How do you ever get anything done if you sleep all day?_ "

"What can I say, I'm a night person," the girl simply replied.

" _Well unfortunately, you're going to have join us daytime people for today. Something's going on in Limbo. Something right there at Yousha,_ " the boy explained.

"A Shadow's gone berserk?" the girl asked.

" _Yes, but there's more. We're getting unusual activity near the Shadow. If I didn't know any better I would say it was a Persona,_ " said the boy.

The girl's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

" _Like I said, we can't be sure of it. But Prospero wants the matter looked into. If there is another Persona user in our midst, then we definitely want them on our side. He asked me to call you and let you know since they're there at Yousha. Do you want me to come in too and back you up?_ "

"No, it's fine. I can handle this on my own. Just straight up reconnaissance, right?" the girl asked.

" _The Shadow needs to be dealt with as well. We can't have them go unchecked,_ " the boy replied.

"Roger, tell Prospero I'm on it," the girl replied and then she hung up her phone. "Another Persona user, eh?" She smiled. "Interesting, very interesting."

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Shadow Takuya cackled wickedly. "Don't underestimate me, you damn bastard!" Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Takuya whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Shadow Takuya now wore a large billowing dark gray, hooded cloak which covered everything except for his hands which were covered by a pair of black gloves, and he also wore a white sash over his shoulders that had Enochian symbols written on it in black. The hood was pulled completely over his head, so his face was impossible to make out. He also had four large, white feathery wings which crossed his back in an X formation. He held a large sword in his right hand that had a golden cross for the handle. "I am a Shadow, the true self! As punishment for your sins, I sentence you to death!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted while brandishing his sword.

Takuya gripped his scythe tightly and then brandished it as well. "Been there done that! It's your turn to die you ugly bastard!"

"Insolent fool! I will smite you!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted.

"I don't really get it, but go get him, Takuya!" Ayuka cheered.

Takuya nodded. "Takuya Miyazaki, you have committed the sins of selfishness and cowardice. Because of you, my dear friend Chris DeBlanc committed suicide, and killed fourteen people and injured six others. And I, Sin Eater, shall feed off those sins in order to purify you. Prepare to reap the sins that you've sown!" Takuya shouted.

Berserk Shadow Takuya raised his sword and then with great speed flew up the stairs and landed on the fourth floor. And then he lunged at Takuya, who blocked the sword's blade with his scythe's handle. They struggled for a few moments, Berserk Shadow Takuya increasing the strength behind his attack and Takuya increasing the strength he put into his blocking, by gripping the handle tightly with both of his hands. But soon Berserk Shadow Takuya forced Takuya's scythe so far back that it was practically leaning against Takuya's neck, the sword's blade was so close to successfully chopping Takuya into two. But Takuya didn't give in, instead he gathered up all the strength he had remaining in his entire body and pushed the sword back to the Shadow with a mighty show of force. When the Shadow was successfully pushed back, Takuya began to take on the offensive. He ran at full speed towards his Shadow and swung his scythe back as far as it could go. "This one's for Chris!" Takuya shouted at the top of his lungs as he continued to charge forward.

But this time the Shadow blocked the attack, and Takuya's scythe blade was pushed back by the blade of the sword. Sparks flew as the two blades came into contact with each other. Then taking advantage of the situation, Berserk Shadow Takuya pushed Takuya back using his free hand. "Know your place, you insignificant worm!" Berserk Shadow Takuya barked.

Takuya caught himself before he could fall to the ground by using his free hand as traction against the ground. He skidded to a halt and then got back up on his feet and charged at his Shadow again. "Hyaaa!" Takuya exclaimed as he swung back his scythe again, this time in a clockwise motion. And again, the Shadow's sword blocked the scythe's attack, catching it right under the curve of the scythe's blade and stopping Takuya's attack dead in its tracks. But this time Takuya was prepared for the block and resorted to using his physical prowess by kicking the Shadow in the chest. However, Berserk Shadow Takuya saw through Takuya's trick and caught his foot with his free hand before Takuya could land a single blow. Then the Shadow swung Takuya back with all his might and threw him across the hallway, making him land hard on his back in front of Ayuka. His scythe was still gripped tightly in one of his hands.

Takuya struggled in getting up off the floor. "Dammit," he grunted. "He blocks me at every turn."

Ayuka sweatdropped. "Huh, all that buildup and now you're getting your ass handed to you? That's kind of lame."

Takuya growled at Ayuka. "I just got this thing so excuse me if I'm a little out of practice," he said as he brandished his scythe. "And plus there's the fact that he's completely toying with me."

"Toying with you?" Ayuka repeated.

"Yeah, trust me. He may not show it but I can sense his true power, he's definitely holding back right now. If only I had some sort of opening to exploit, I might be able to get the upper hand on him. But this isn't a video game so it's not that likely that he has any sort of visible weak point," Takuya explained.

"Well how about those giant wings on his back?" Ayuka asked. "He's using them to float so if you take them out he might not be so fast, right?"

Takuya sweatdropped this time. "Well yeah obviously those would be a clear weak point." He then chuckled awkwardly. 'They're so damn big too. How the hell did I not think of that?' he asked himself.

"Do you still wish to continue you insolent fool, or have you had enough?!" Berserk Shadow Takuya barked.

Takuya smirked and then pulled himself up off the floor. "You wish; this is only the beginning." The Takuya swung his scythe back over his shoulder, narrowly missing Ayuka's hair in the process.

She yelped in terror and ducked. "Watch where you're swinging that thing, idiot!"

Takuya lost his cool composure. "Oh yeah right, sorry about that. I'll be careful from now on."

"Just swing that scythe at that Shadow whatever and get us out of here!" Ayuka commanded.

Takuya nodded. "Got it." Then he turned back to face his Shadow. "You're mine now!" He laid his scythe down to his right side and then swung it back again as he charged forward at his Shadow. Only this time he aimed for what he believed to be a vulnerable spot, one of the four wings that kept his Shadow afloat.

"Nice try!" Berserk Shadow Takuya blocked Takuya's scythe by knocking the handle back with his free arm. "But you'll have to do better than that!" Takuya swung his scythe back again, only this time he swung it in a 180 degree turn and then caught the handle with his left hand and tried to focus his attacks on the wings on the left side. "Not going to happen!" Berserk Shadow Takuya exclaimed as he countered the scythe's blade with his sword yet again. Then Takuya kept going back and forth, attacking from the right and left, trying to get an edge in the battle. But each time he tried to slice off a wing, the Shadow blocked his scythe completely.

Ayuka could barely keep up with the Shadow's intense movements. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. It really is fast," she said to herself.

Takuya jumped back from his Shadow and then cursed, "Dammit!" He glared at Berserk Shadow Takuya. 'He's so damn fast, it's like he knows what I'm going to do before I even do it.' Then Takuya's eyes widened. "Wait a second, don't tell me…"

The Shadow cackled. "It seems you finally understand the futility of your actions! I am you, and you are me! Therefore, I know everything you're going to do! At this point all you're doing is fighting a mirror! You can try and attack me all you want and I shall block you each and every time! Now do you realize that your fate is to die by my hand here?!"

Takuya's eyes widened in fear. 'No way? Then is there really no beating him?' he asked himself.

"Don't give up, Takuya! You're way better than that thing! You can't stop now! Prove how different you are from him! I believe in you!" Ayuka cheered.

Takuya smiled and nodded. "She's right, I can't quit now," he said to himself. Then he looked to his Shadow again. "Shut the hell up! I don't care what the odds are! I'm not going to back down ever again! I'll keep coming at you until there isn't a single ounce of strength left in my body!" Takuya shouted at his Shadow.

"Foolish child! It is meaningless to defy fate! I shall kill you here and claim your soul as my own! This is your ultimate fate!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted.

Takuya smirked. "I think I've already made it clear at this point that I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I don't turn into you! Screw fate, I'm the master of my own destiny! And to prove it, I'm going to use my new power to defeat you!" Takuya held up his left arm and then suddenly the tattoo hidden under the hoodie sleeve began to glow brightly, so bright that you could even see it when it was covered up. "Let's test the power of my Persona against my Shadow." He grinned wickedly and then shouted, "Come forth, Zenbyou!" And then Takuya's Shinigami Persona appeared behind him, looking as creepy and as menacing as ever.

" _Yes, Sin Eater. Thou hast given me thy life as payment so now thou may use my power as thee see fit. I am at thy command,_ " Zenbyou whispered in Takuya's mind.

Berserk Shadow Takuya scoffed. "A meaningless effort! I'll admit I was taken back at first, not many people are able to summon their Persona when their Shadow is still running wild! But he will not help you at all, he's just the same as you which means I know what to expect from him as well!"

Takuya brandished his scythe threateningly, and Zenbyou followed his actions using his own scythe. "I'm not backing down! So if you're so sure of yourself, then come on. Give it your best shot!" Takuya shouted at his Shadow.

"As you wish!" Berserk Shadow Takuya replied. He raised his sword again and then shouted, " **Heavenly Slash!** " And suddenly a large wave of light bounced off of the sword and flew towards Takuya and Zenbyou. The wave of light grew and grew until it started to tear through the ceiling and the floor. It appeared that the light wave was just as sharp as the Shadow's sword.

"Not going to happen! **Shinigami Shroud!** " Takuya shouted. And then in response to Takuya's cry, Zenbyou used his free arm to cover up his face and a few moments later a dark-blue aura appeared in front of Takuya, Zenbyou, and Ayuka. The aura morphed and formed a protective shell, which nullified the Shadow's attack and cancelled it.

"What is this?!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted in reply.

"My power to protect those whom I care about! With Zenbyou's aid, I shall save and protect everyone I can! And no one is going to get in my way!" Takuya shouted. When the Shadow's attack fully dissipated, Zenbyou uncovered his face and then the aura shell slowly began to disappear. "Now let me show you my true power! **Garu!** " Zenbyou's eyes began to glow and he swung his scythe back around his side. Then a flurry of green whirlwinds began to envelop Berserk Shadow Takuya.

The Shadow braced himself against the impact, but it seemed like Takuya's attack did inflict some damage. "Arrgh! Troublesome gnat! You will pay for your transgressions!" Then he swung back his sword and lunged at Takuya again.

"Do your worst!" Takuya shouted back at him as he charged forward as well. Scythe and sword clashed again in a flurry of red sparks. Only this time, Takuya had the upper hand thanks to the assistance of Zenbyou who pushed back the sword with his own scythe.

Berserk Shadow Takuya seemed fazed. "How can this be?! This should be more than enough power to deal with the likes of you!"

Zenbyou cackled. " _Foolish Shadow. Thou hast made a grave error in underestimating the power of thy host._ " Then he looked down to Takuya. " _Now, Sin Eater! Thine opponent is thoroughly distracted, unleash my true power!_ "

Takuya nodded. "Here it goes! **Soul Collector!** " he shouted. Then Zenbyou's eyes began to glow again and the blade of his scythe began to grow exponentially until it was at least five times its previous size. And the blade shone a bright, exuberant blue. Zenbyou released his block upon Berserk Shadow Takuya's sword and left Takuya to distract him. Then the Persona hopped over the Shadow and faced his behind, where his weak point was clearly exposed.

"No!" Berserk Shadow Takuya exclaimed. But it was too late, by the time he realized that he had been tricked, Zenbyou had already swung his scythe back to attack. Zenbyou cackled mischievously as he brought the blade of his scythe down across the wings on Berserk Shadow Takuya's left side. In mere moments the wings were completely sliced off and Berserk Shadow Takuya screamed in horrible pain, but as soon as the wings fell to the floor they disappeared into darkness. This gave Takuya the advantage he needed to push back Berserk Shadow Takuya's sword and inflict another blow using his own scythe. Takuya managed to inflict a nasty slash to his Shadow's torso, that poured a dark ectoplasmic-like substance that seemed similar to blood. "Damn insect!" Berserk Shadow Takuya screamed in agony.

Takuya and Zenbyou jumped back away from the Shadow, just in case he dove back in for a counterattack. They observed the dark, blood-like, ectoplasmic substance trickle down from Berserk Shadow Takuya's scythe wound.

"Eww, gross," Ayuka commented.

Berserk Shadow Takuya panted heavily. "You damn…You damn…" He appeared to be in so much pain that he couldn't even finish his sentence. At that point he could barely even float properly. Then he used his free hand to cover up his scythe wound. "You will…pay for this," he spat.

"Come on, stop with the act already. I know you're still holding back. Even with just two wings you should still be fast enough to block my attacks," Takuya replied.

"…" Berserk Shadow Takuya went silent. And then a few moments later he began to cackle wickedly. "I guess there really is no fooling me, is there?" Then suddenly and without warning Berserk Shadow Takuya began to disappear into thin air. "The truth is; all this time you've been fighting a mere shadow of your Shadow."

Takuya grunted. "Where are you?! Show yourself!"

"Now, now. No need to be so hasty. I'm just doing what you've done before, refusing to face a problem head on. Call me a coward if you wish but to me this seems like a more fun way to deal with our little disagreement. If you still wish to face judgement, I implore you to come and find me. I'm still in the building somewhere, eager to claim your soul as my own. Come to me, come to me and meet your death," Berserk Shadow Takuya's voice echoed in the darkness.

Takuya grunted again. "Dammit!" Then Zenbyou disappeared, leaving Takuya and Ayuka alone in the hallway.

"So wait. Back there, when you got the upper hand on him. That wasn't really your Shadow?" Ayuka asked in confusion.

"Apparently not, he must have slipped away right after I first fought him and he knocked me down flat. He said that was just a shadow of him, which must mean that this is part of his true power. He can make copies of himself," Takuya explained.

"And we won't be able to get out of here until you defeat him, right?" Ayuka asked.

"I think that's a pretty safe bet," Takuya replied.

"Okay," Ayuka replied and then she pulled herself up off the floor. "Then we just have to find him so you can beat him."

"It might be best if you stay here while I go to look for him alone. There's no telling what other tricks he has up his sleeves," Takuya replied.

Ayuka shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Not going to happen. There is no way in hell that you are leaving me alone in this creepy place. From now on you have two Shadows, so lead the way."

Takuya sweatdropped. "Okay, I get it. Just stay close and be careful."

"Yeah, no need to worry about that. I'm sticking to you like glue," Ayuka replied. And then the two teenagers silently walked down the staircase. Takuya carried his scythe over his right shoulder as Ayuka stuck close to his left side. After a silent walk down to the third floor they immediately felt a cold presence surrounding them. Ayuka breathed out and saw that she could see her breath. Then she began to shiver and rub her hands up and down her arms. "W-Why did it su-suddenly get so c-cold?"

Takuya tensed up. 'This feeling.' Then his eyes widened. 'Oh no, not again!' he inwardly exclaimed. And then someone appeared in front of them. A person, Takuya recognized all too well. He was boy who appeared to be about his and Ayuka's age, he had short dark brown hair, pasty skin, and hazel colored eyes. He wore a neatly pressed, white collared dress shirt, a blue tie, a red jacket, a pair of khaki pants, and a pair of brown dress shoes. He looked sullen and depressed, almost like all the life had been drained out of him.

"Is he…like us, or…?" Ayuka couldn't finish the question out of fear.

"Or," Takuya simply replied. "He's already dead. Limbo is a place where the dead roam, not just Shadows."

"Do you know him?" Ayuka asked out of concern.

Takuya nodded. "He was my best friend."

"…" Ayuka's eyes widened in realization, and then she just silently stared at the boy.

Takuya walked closer to the boy and then he smiled at him. "Hey Chris, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"…" Chris didn't respond. He just continued to stare off into space.

"Hey? Can you hear me?" Takuya simply replied.

"…" again nothing.

Takuya sighed. "I guess Shinichi was right," he said to himself. "Most of you guys really don't interact at all, do you?" Takuya frowned. "I guess it's kind of poetic that I'd see you here, just when I'm about to face my inner demons. It's probably not worth that much now, but I want you to know that above else, I'm really sorry. I should've been a better friend to you. I'm not blind, I saw what was happening to you. What those horrible kids were doing to you." Then he shook his head. "And I did nothing about it. I didn't even try to talk to you about it."

"…" Ayuka stayed silent and watched as Takuya poured his heart out.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said Takuya. He was beginning to tear up.

"No you're not," Chris suddenly replied. Takuya took a step back out of surprise.

"Chr-Chris?" Takuya simply said.

"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have just run away from me and all that shit back in LA." Chris looked up at Takuya. The lifelessness in his eyes was replaced by hate. "If you were really sorry, then you would've actually stood up for me instead of trying to tattle to the teachers. If you were really sorry, then you wouldn't have acted like things were fine with me when you knew damn well that they weren't!"

"I…I…I…" Takuya was speechless.

Chris shook his head. "You're pathetic. I've put up with people's incessant cruelty all my life. You couldn't stand four months of it. I wished more than anything that I could just run away from my problems like you did. But I couldn't, and you knew I couldn't. Things have always been so easy for you haven't they? So much so that when you got a taste of how I felt every day, you cracked under the pressure and then ran away with your tail between your legs. You're right, you are a damn coward."

"…" Takuya just looked at the floor. He couldn't say anything in reply. He knew it was all true.

"You can't save anyone. Don't even pretend you can. Playing dress-up, handling that weapon, do you really think that's going to make up for what you did to me?!" Chris shouted.

Takuya dropped his scythe on the floor, and it landed with a loud metal clang. "No…no that's not true. I don't want to be that person anymore. I don't. I can change, I can."

Chris shook his head. "You can't change, you're weak and pathetic. You always have been; you always will be." Chris's eyes started to change color, from hazel to gold. "Face it, you're a coward inside and out!" A dark aura enveloped him and then he shouted, " **Teeming Darkness!** " Then suddenly a dark miasmic aura blanketed the hallway, and then the aura separated into tiny pools of darkness that littered the floor and walls. Chris clenched his right hand tightly into a fist. "Drag them down into the pits of darkness!" he shouted. And then dark, shadowy hands started to appear out of the pools of darkness. There were only a few at first, but soon that turned into ten, and then a hundred, and then a thousand. It appeared that the whole hallway was covered in the shadowy hands, it seemed like Takuya and Ayuka were in a forest of them.

"Chris, don't do this!" Takuya exclaimed.

Ayuka screamed in horror and jumped to her feet. "What are these things?!" Then the hands grabbed ahold of her legs and dragged her down to the floor. "No, no, no! Help! Takuya, help me!" In a few moments the hands revealed their true objective, they weren't trying to drag Ayuka back to the floor but rather drag her down into the darkness that they were coming out of. Ayuka's feet disappeared into the darkness before her very eyes and she screamed in terror once again.

"Ayuka!" Takuya exclaimed. He raced to his friend's side in order to save her, but the shadowy hands blocked his path and grabbed ahold of him as well. Takuya tried to break free of their grasp, but it proved to be to no avail, they were completely smothering him. "Let me go! Let me go, dammit!" Then another hand wrapped itself around his neck, trying to get him to stop struggling. He began to sink into the darkness just like Ayuka. "Chris stop this!" he shouted at Chris.

"Why should I?! The hands that drag you down into the darkness are those who were killed by your own cowardice! You deserve nothing more than to die along with them! To die along with me! You yourself feel the same way do you not?!" Chris shouted.

"…" Takuya went quiet.

"Do not fear death! You have already given your life once, what is the harm in doing it a second time?! Only this time, you will truly be able to pay for your sins! You'll be together with those you feel responsible for, for all eternity! Just let the darkness swallow you whole and you will be at peace at last!" Takuya legs were almost completely gone, and he was slowly sinking even more into the darkness below him. "You want to be free from your pain, from your guilt, from your sorrow?! This is the answer! This is the only way that you can truly atone for your sins!"

Takuya thought about Chris' words very carefully. 'Do I really want to die? I think I want to live; I think I want to keep fighting. But even then, will it make any difference at all? No matter what I do it won't change the past.' Takuya thought back to December, and all the events that had unfolded in his life since then. Him finding Chris's journal and hit list, getting a bad cold on the day that Chris carried out his plan for revenge, Chris killing all those students and then taking his own life as well, the message that he got from him an hour before the attack and which he didn't bother to check until that night, and all the guilt that was forced onto him because Chris was also dead. He claimed for months that he had no idea what Chris was planning to do, and that the fact that he got sick on the day Chris carried out his attack was a coincidence and nothing more. But he told only a half truth, he knew what Chris was going to do, just not when he was going to do it. That's why it was nothing short of a miracle that he came down with a cold that day. But still, never had he felt so guilty before. He could've done something more to help his friend, but he chose to ignore the signs instead and let his friend continue to pretend to be happy. You couldn't say he didn't share some responsibility for what happened.

" _Murderer! You should have died along with that psychopath! No way in hell you didn't know what he was planning to do! The little bastard was probably in on it! He deserves to be in jail, rotting on death row! If there's any justice in this world someone will blow your brains out too! Why don't you just do the world a favor and drop dead! Criminal! Monster! Murderer!_ " The wicked voices of the outraged public hurt him, they hurt him really bad.

'Maybe they're right. Maybe I don't even deserve the chance to make up for my sins. Maybe my fate is just to die and slip into darkness,' Takuya thought to himself. His eyes were dull and lifeless; it was as if all hope had disappeared from them. Takuya was being dragged even deeper into the darkness by the shadowy hands.

And then a forgotten raspy voice called out to him. " _Do not listen to him, Sin Eater!_ " Takuya's eyes widened and he came back to his senses. " _It is just an illusion! A trick and nothing more! Come to thy senses, use thy Shinigami eyes and see the truth for thyself!_ " Takuya focused his eyes and they began to glow. Then amazingly, everything that he saw was now in blood red. And upon further observation, Takuya took notice of the absence of the shadowy hands that were previously surrounding him. They were all gone, almost like they had never been there in the first place. He looked back to Ayuka and saw that she was fine as well. She just appeared to be unconscious. Then he looked back to Chris and saw that his friend wasn't really there. Instead what remained in his place was a dark black blob that wore a white mask with a ghastly grin on it.

"Is that another…?" Takuya asked.

" _A Shadow, yes. Here in the realm of the dead, they lurk in pure darkness, dragging anyone not of this world into the darkness as well. They play tricks on thy mind. Thou art a Grim Reaper, so thou must learn how to overcome these wicked tricks,_ " Zenbyou whispered in Takuya's ear.

"So he was never really there?" Takuya asked.

"No, he wasn't." Someone else answered Takuya's question. Takuya turned to see another person walked down the staircase. "The dead don't roam that far from where their final breaths were drawn. Other than that, Limbo is made up entirely of darkness. And that darkness is writhing with Shadows. They play tricks on your mind, and make you see things that aren't really there. They sense your life force and they desperately want it, so they will never stop hunting you. Which means if you intend to survive in Limbo, you're going to have to learn how to properly defend yourself against them."

The person speaking was a tall girl with dyed green hair that was tied back into a ponytail, snow white skin, and red eyes that matched Takuya's. She wore a black eye mask, which covered the upper part of her face, a yellow collared shirt, a red, women's tuxedo, tailcoat dress jacket, a pair of black leggings, and a pair of black high heels. She also wore a white, bunny ear hairband, a bycocket hat with a white feather on top of it, and a gold pocket watch which was chained to her dress jacket. The mysterious girl smirked at Takuya. "So it is true, another person has awakened to the power of Persona."

"W-Who are you?" Takuya asked in confusion.

The girl leaned on the staircase railing and raised her left hand up in the air. Then suddenly her hand was filled with five playing cards, which had gilded edges that seemed almost razor sharp. "You can call me the White Rabbit. And I'm your Grim Reaper senpai."

"…" Takuya's eyes widened in surprise.

"We should really chat. You must be majorly confused. But first." The White Rabbit swung her left hand back and flung her playing cards at the Shadow behind Takuya. The flew through the air with the speed and fury of shuriken stars. And when they made contact with the Shadow they sliced it into a million pieces. Then the cards spun back around, almost like they were boomerangs, and then flew back to the White Rabbit, who caught each one without even moving a finger. "I think I better teach you a few pointers, or else you're probably going to die." The White Rabbit giggled in delight.

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A/N: Hmm, how strange. It appears that others have awakened to the powers of Persona and a Grim Reaper long before our young hero did. Things are getting quite interesting.


	13. Chapter X

A/N: (Real voice again. It's been a while, hasn't it? I bet you all thought I was dead. Sorry, college is taking up all my time. But I will try to get the story back on track. Just letting you know just because I'm posting this now does not mean I'll post something again soon. I was halfway finished with this chapter for a long time and I finally found the time to finish it today. I'm going to try and post at least through the chapter when Ryuta Yanasai joins the team before Christmas. Maybe I'll get to Ayuka Yamasato too, if I get lucky enough. But please don't abandon this story. I intend to see it through to the end. Anyway, back to my other voice.)

The world is full of questions. Our young hero will learn that very soon. It is his destiny to restore the balance to thy world, and yet it appears as if similar individuals have already worked their way into Limbo. The one called the White Rabbit, she is surely just one part of a larger outfit. Who are these other so called Grim Reapers? Let's find out shall we.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter X: How is this not like an RPG again?**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

"So he was never really there?" Takuya asked.

"No, he wasn't." Someone else answered Takuya's question. Takuya turned to see another person walked down the staircase. "The dead don't roam that far from where their final breaths were drawn. Other than that, Limbo is made up entirely of darkness. And that darkness is writhing with Shadows. They play tricks on your mind, and make you see things that aren't really there. They sense your life force and they desperately want it, so they will never stop hunting you. Which means if you intend to survive in Limbo, you're going to have to learn how to properly defend yourself against them."

The person speaking was a tall girl with dyed green hair that was tied back into a ponytail, snow white skin, and red eyes that matched Takuya's. She wore a black eye mask, which covered the upper part of her face, a yellow collared shirt, a red, women's tuxedo, tailcoat dress jacket, a pair of black leggings, and a pair of black high heels. She also wore a white, bunny ear hairband, a bycocket hat with a white feather on top of it, and a gold pocket watch which was chained to her dress jacket. The mysterious girl smirked at Takuya. "So it is true, another person has awakened to the power of Persona."

"W-Who are you?" Takuya asked in confusion.

The girl leaned on the staircase railing and raised her left hand up in the air. Then suddenly her hand was filled with five playing cards, which had gilded edges that seemed almost razor sharp. "You can call me the White Rabbit. And I'm your Grim Reaper senpai."

"…" Takuya's eyes widened in surprise.

"We should really chat. You must be majorly confused. But first." The White Rabbit swung her left hand back and flung her playing cards at the Shadow behind Takuya. The flew through the air with the speed and fury of shuriken stars. And when they made contact with the Shadow they sliced it into a million pieces. Then the cards spun back around, almost like they were boomerangs, and then flew back to the White Rabbit, who caught each one without even moving a finger. "I think I better teach you a few pointers, or else you're probably going to die." The White Rabbit giggled in delight.

"You? You're a Grim Reaper too?" Takuya asked in confusion.

"You didn't think you were the only one, did you?" the White Rabbit replied. Then she walked down the stairs and joined Takuya and Ayuka on the third floor. "Well I guess I could see how you might think that way. After all, besides me and you there's only a few others. And besides us Reapers, Limbo is practically…no wait, an actual ghost town."

"This place, you call it Limbo too?" Takuya asked.

"Yep, one of those other Reapers I told you about came up with the name, so the rest of us have just stuck with that since then. Why do you ask?" the White Rabbit replied.

"No real reason, a friend of mine just told me they came up with the name is all," Takuya replied.

"A friend? You mean your buddy is another Reaper?" the White Rabbit asked.

"No, not exactly. They've just been here before," Takuya replied. He was trying to be as vague with his answers as possible as he did not yet know if he could trust this other so-called Grim Reaper.

"Hmm, I see," the White Rabbit replied. Then she walked up closer to Takuya and gave him a look-over. "Lanky build, average height, general state of confusion. Let me guess, you're a student who goes to school here at Yousha and just found out about your power today, am I right?"

She read him like a book. "Umm, actually it was yesterday," he said in an embarrassed tone.

"But today was the first time you awoke to your Persona, right?" the White Rabbit asked.

"That was about twenty minutes ago, yeah," Takuya replied in an even more embarrassed tone.

The White Rabbit sighed. "Geez, you are a total noob. I'm surprised the atmosphere of this place didn't kill you already. If you fought against a Shadow in this condition you would be soul food in mere seconds."

"Well I managed to get this far fighting against my own Shadow, so I think I'm doing pretty good for my first day at least," Takuya replied.

Now the White Rabbit's interest was piqued. "You fought against your own Shadow? Did you use your Persona?"

"Yeah," Takuya replied in confusion.

"How?! The Shadow is the negative side of you, and the Persona is the positive side! Having both sides of you being awoken at the same time is beyond mentally exhausting! There's no way you could fight properly without even a little backup! I should know, it took everything I had to beat my Shadow even with the others' help! And afterwards I was exhausted for days!" The White Rabbit gave Takuya another look over. "And yet, you seem to still have all your energy. I haven't heard of a case like this since Prospero."

"Pros-who?" Takuya replied in confusion.

The White Rabbit clasped Takuya's hands. "You have to tell me the secrets to your power!"

Takuya was confused and a little frightened by the intensity of the White Rabbit. "Well…I…uh…to be honest I don't really know why my Persona came out when it did. It just sort of happened."

"It just sort of happened?! Really?! Is that all you have to say?!" the White Rabbit exclaimed. "The fact that your brain hasn't imploded from all this mental stress is nothing short of a miracle!" Then she looked around. "And now that I think about it this is still the arts and clubs building! Are you telling me your Shadow didn't take you to a Haunt when it took you over?!"

"A what?" Takuya was confused. "It didn't take me over at all. It tried, but it told me that for whatever reason it couldn't. So it tried to kill me in the real world and lure me into Limbo where it could take my soul as its own," he explained.

"Unbelievable! A noob at a phenomenal level?! I thought Prospero was the only one who managed to pull off something like that! But the rest of us didn't even come close to that kind of spiritual power! We all had to have help to get rid of our Shadows and they took all of us over at one point or another! Who the hell are you anyway, kid?!" the White Rabbit exclaimed.

"Umm, my name is Ta…" Takuya was cut off.

"Not your real name, moron! You never use real names in Limbo! Spirits could be listening, and they might try and target you in the real world! How do you not know this?!" Then she took a deep breath and calmed down. "When your Persona killed you, it gave you a mantle upon your rebirth, did it not?"

"You know about that?" Takuya stupidly asked.

"Duh, do you honestly think that my real name is White Rabbit? It's the mantle my Persona gave me," the White Rabbit explained. "So I ask again. Who the hell are you?"

Takuya cleared his throat and then replied in a more serious tone, "Sin Eater. I'm Sin Eater."

"Sin Eater, eh?" the White Rabbit repeated. Then she giggled. "And I thought my motif was weird. But seriously, Sin Eater? Sounds like the name of a creepy anime character." Then she pointed at Takuya's outfit. "And what's up with your costume? I literally do not think it could get any more emo."

"…" Takuya remained silent as the White Rabbit ridiculed him.

After a few more moments of laughing, the White Rabbit calmed down and returned to her somewhat serious nature. "Alrighty then, Sin Eater. I've got a few more questions for you. Question number one, what's that girl doing here with you? She is obviously not one of us." The White Rabbit pointed to a still unconscious Ayuka.

"She's a friend. She wandered into Limbo with me, well actually I kind of forced her to come with me," Takuya explained.

"I see, well since she doesn't have any power it's not that much of surprise that she fell for that Shadow illusion so easily. She must have blacked out due to overwhelming mental exhaustion. But it is a surprise that you, who have awakened to your Persona, fell for such an obvious trick. With your Shadow dealt with, you should have a better immunity to their illusions."

"Well actually I haven't dealt with my Shadow yet. It ran away during our battle," Takuya explained.

The White Rabbit sighed. "Yep, that would do it alright. The fact that your Shadow is still running wild means that you're not fully awakened yet. You're not going to have full access to your abilities until your Shadow has been defeated. So I guess it's lucky for you that I'm here, trying to take down a fully Berserk Shadow on your own is nothing short of suicide, even with a Persona."

"Wait, are you saying that you'll help me defeat my Shadow?" Takuya asked.

"I was sent here to deal with the Berserk Shadow anyway, so I don't mind helping you out. But first a few more questions, if you please? Can you tell me more about this friend of yours? The one who knows about Limbo? Even what we call it?" the White Rabbit asked.

"I don't know what more I could tell you about them. He's a guy for one. I just met him yesterday, a little after I found out about spirits, Grim Reapers, Personas, and Shadows. He's been here a lot from what I can tell," Takuya explained hesitantly. He didn't want to go into too much detail about Shinichi, him being acquaintances with a walking, talking ghost might raise some alarms for someone whose been exploring Limbo for quite a while now.

"And you're sure they're not a Persona user too?" the White Rabbit asked.

"Not to the best of my knowledge, no. But like I said, I just met him yesterday," Takuya replied.

"Very well, I find your answer acceptable. Now then, last question. What year are you in here at Yousha?" the White Rabbit asked.

"Umm, I'm a second year. But why does that matter?" Takuya replied.

"It doesn't really, I just wanted to find out if I was your senpai in the living world too. No such luck though, I'm a second year too. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm you're senpai here in Limbo, so if you want my help you're going to have listen to everything I say. Got it?"

"Got it," Takuya replied.

"Good, now then if you're going to really beat your Shadow this time, then you're going to need a few lessons on how to properly use your Persona and your Reaper abilities. And I sense a couple of Shadows between us and our target that are perfect to use as practice dummies. Just remember to keep up your Reaper eyes before you start to fight them, otherwise the Shadows will trap you in another illusion and gain the upper hand on you. And trust me, you don't want that. When a Shadow gets the upper hand in battle, that's when it sends in reinforcements. So be sure to keep your guard up, Sin-kun."

"Sin-kun?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"Remember, I'm the senpai here. I can call you whatever I want. Got that, Sin-kun?" the White Rabbit replied.

"Yes, Senpai," Takuya replied with an added groan.

"Good, and umm grab her," the White Rabbit pointed back to Ayuka. "If we leave her unattended like that the Shadows won't waste any time in making her into a snack."

"Right," Takuya replied. Then he ran over to Ayuka's side and tried to wake her up. "Ayuka? Ayuka, can you hear me?"

"…" but there was no response. Ayuka was still unconscious.

"She's out cold, you'll just have to carry her," the White Rabbit replied. Takuya nodded and then he pulled Ayuka's right arm over his shoulder and then grabbed ahold of her waist and pulled her up off the floor. But Takuya struggled in trying to support her weight while still holding onto his scythe. Then the White Rabbit grabbed Takuya's scythe. "I'll hold onto this, Sin-kun. You're in charge of protecting the princess." Then she ran off ahead of Takuya and Ayuka. "Come on, I haven't got all day. We've got a Shadow to exterminate!" she shouted back at them.

Takuya sighed in exasperation. "Come on, Ayuka," he said to his still unconscious friend. Then he dragged her along and followed after the White Rabbit.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Meanwhile, Shinichi was searching for any trace of Ryuta Yanasai, who had disappeared into Limbo a short while ago. Shinichi did a thorough search of the Yousha Academy boys' dorm and didn't find a single sign that Ryuta had been there. All he saw were a few spirits here and there. And after searching every single room on every single floor, he was satisfied that Ryuta Yanasai was not in the boys' dorm. He had gone deeper into Limbo. Shinichi walked out of the Limbo version of the boys' dorm, and was greeted with the Limbo version of Yousha Academy's campus. The sky was a dark gray, and the sun was only a slightly brighter gray so it was really hard to make out. The sun was also in the western part of the sky, a direct opposite to its true eastern position in the living world. The buildings around the campus were now pure white in color, and the grass that blanketed the campus was now a light black. There was no one on the campus at all. Thankfully, Yousha's total number of unsent spirits was miniscule compared to the city outside its walls. However, this meant that Ryuta had gone somewhere far beyond his entry point into Limbo. "Come on, where did you go?" Shinichi said to himself. "You're still alive so I should be able to sense you just like Takuya. Just where are you?" He tried to focus on Ryuta's presence that he previously felt when he was observing him before. "We've already got our omen girl to deal with. We can't have another problem on our hands."

Shinichi walked aimlessly down the campus' courtyard path. "Hello?! Anyone out there?! Yanasai?! Can you hear me?!" he shouted.

"…" But he was only met with silence.

Shinichi sighed. "Why did I expect anyone would reply? Wherever Yanasai is, I doubt he could hear me no matter how loud I shout." Then he stopped walking and sat down on the grass below him. Then he laid back down on the ground and stared up at the gray sky above. "I wonder; will I ever be able to find him? Limbo is the same as the living world, it's massive. He could be anywhere. All I know is that he's in here somewhere, but I have no idea of where to even start looking for him. Still though, what was all that?" Shinichi thought back to what transpired on the boys' dorm rooftop earlier. Ryuta talking to himself, and that dark aura enveloping him. Shinichi had never seen anything like that before, and as a ghost he was pretty sure he had seen it all. "It was like he became a completely different person." Then a single word popped into Shinichi's mind. "Shadow. I don't know how I know it, but I know that's what it was. What the hell is a Shadow anyway? I haven't seen anything like that in Limbo before. If that's what takes living people into Limbo, then why didn't that happen to Takuya too?"

He sighed again. "I am so confused. Dammit, why can't I remember anything? Is this really what it's like when you die? A constant state of amnesia? I hate this. I fucking hate it." Shinichi grunted. Then he closed his eyes. "Maybe if I focus real hard something else will come to me. Concentrate. Concentrate." Shinichi waited for a few moments for something, anything to come to mind. It didn't matter how small the memory was, he just wanted something. And yet, his mind was utterly blank. He sighed again and opened his eyes. "Figures. It's been at least three months now. If I was going to remember anything I feel like it would've happened by now. The only thing I remember is that."

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _"One minute he was depressed about that blog he was muttering about, and the next minute he's like a completely different person. Those gold eyes, that dark aura, and that black tattoo. It seems oddly familiar."_

 _And then Shinichi's eyes widened in pain and he grabbed ahold of his head and screamed in pain. Then he dropped to the ground and began to shake. "Shit, what's going on?! What is this feeling?!" It was if a white hot poker was branding the inside of Shinichi's head. The pain he felt was excruciating. "Sha-Shadow! P-P-Persona! Must…stop…them!" he blurted out incoherently. Then another minute later the pain subsided and he panted intensely. After that he calmed down he stood back up on his feet. "What was that just now? Was that a memory? But what does it all mean? Shadow? Persona? What exactly am I remembering?" Then Shinichi looked back to the door. "And more importantly, what does Takuya, that guy, and Limbo have to do with it?"_

* * *

"It's weird, that feels like the first real memory I've had. But I can't really even call that a memory, it's just a feeling. Shadows? Personas? Why do those two things feel so familiar?" Shinichi tried to make sense of everything. Limbo, Personas, Shadows, Takuya, and Ryuta. What was the connection? He didn't know why or how, but he was certain that the connection between all those things was the key to regaining his memories. But after minutes upon minutes of intense thought, he finally sighed and gave up. "It's no use, I can't think of any connection at all. Persona? What the hell is a Persona? What does that have to do with Limbo? I have no idea how to sum it all up." Then his eyes widened. "Wait a second." He sat up on the ground. "Sum? Sum…i…? Sumi…re?" Then a name came to mind. "Sumire?" The name on his tongue felt very familiar, like he had said it many times before in the past. "Sumire? Sumire?" he repeated the name over and over again. "Who's Sumire?"

A person came to mind, but Shinichi couldn't make out their face. The image in his mind was completely burry. "Who the hell is Sumire?" Then he grunted. "Dammit! Why can't I remember anything?!" Shinichi was really frustrated.

"I am so confused. I fucking hate this. I fucking hate not knowing anything. What the hell am I even doing?" He buried his head in his hands. "I've spent three months in complete ignorance. I can't take much more of this. Just one thing, please! That's all I'm asking for!" He played cool about his memory loss to Takuya, but it was all an act. In reality, he was terrified. He had no idea who he was and was left alone in a world of isolation and silence with hundreds of thousands of people who couldn't even say a single word to him. All he knew was that he was dead. Dead and drowning ever so slowly in a sea of death and confusion. Why? Why couldn't he remember anything no matter how hard he tried? He wanted to cry, but what would be the point? No one would ever hear his painful sobs. He felt so alone.

Then he sensed a familiar presence. He picked his head up out of his hands and then stared off into the distance. "Takuya?" Then he felt another presence that was slowly masking Takuya's. It felt dark and foreboding. A chill shot down Shinichi's spine. "Takuya! He's in trouble! I've got to help him; I can't let him die too!" Then he raced off to Takuya's location.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Takuya followed the White Rabbit further down into the Limbo version of the arts and clubs building. Soon they reached the stairway that led down to the second floor, and the White Rabbit's nose began to twitch. She motioned for Takuya to stop walking. "Stop right here," she said in a commanding voice.

"Why? What's the matter?" Takuya asked.

The White Rabbit scoffed. "That's right, your Shadow isn't gone yet so you don't have full access to your abilities. Well at least you have your basic eyes on you."

"My eyes?" Takuya repeated. And then he recalled what Zenbyou had told him earlier. "Oh yeah, come to think of it my Persona mentioned something about my eyes being able to see through the Shadows' illusions."

The White Rabbit giggled. "Very good, Sin-kun. A Reaper's eyes are their greatest tool in the battlefield of Limbo. But they also have a very special secret deep inside of them."

"A special secret? What do you mean?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

"Well even though we Reapers share the same eye color; it doesn't mean that our eyes are alike. There are key differences between each pair of Reaper eyes, and each pair has a different ability. A secret ability which can only be accessed through an incredible amount of focus and access to an even more incredible amount of spiritual power. For instance, I possess the Eyes of the Rabbit, and as such I have an incredible sense of danger, much like the rabbit."

"And your eyes do all that?" Takuya asked.

The White Rabbit nodded. "When I activate my eyes' ability I am able to use all of the rabbit's sensory skills, from hearing, to smell, to sight. Don't let the fake ears fool you, I'm a full-fledged bunny girl." Then the White Rabbit sweatdropped. "That sounded cooler in my head, but now that I say it out loud it makes me sound like some skimpy casino waitress." Then she sighed. "Anyway, I smell a Shadow that's really close."

"You can smell them?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah, and they sort of smell like marshmallows if you were wondering." The White Rabbit sniffed at the air. Then she smirked and said, "It's right on top of us, probably planning a surprise attack. But this is also a great chance for me to teach you a few things."

"Bring it on, I'm not letting anyone or anything stand in my way of getting that bastard," Takuya replied.

"That's the spirit. But first, why don't you set the princess down over there? We wouldn't want her getting hurt in the fight," the White Rabbit replied.

"Good idea," Takuya replied and then he set Ayuka down on the floor and leaned her up against the hallway wall. Then the White Rabbit tossed Takuya's scythe back to him.

"Ready, Sin-kun?" the White Rabbit replied.

"You bet," Takuya replied.

"Good, because here it comes." Right on cue, a black blob that wore a gray mask with a twisted smile dropped down from the hallway ceiling. It let lout a high pitched screech and then suddenly the blob started to morph and change shape, then it split into two separate blobs and became a pair of odd looking monsters. They were composed of black and red glowing scroll paper that was wrapped around in a coil. Which made their outer appearances similar to that of a Koinobori decoration. They also had blue and gold metallic eyes and fins, and they wore pink mask on top of their heads.

* * *

BATTLE TUTORIAL #1

* * *

(A/N: During important battle phases where instructions are given on how to use abilities, a battle tutorial will begin. There will mainly be one during each important event in which a new ally is gained, just to demonstrate their abilities. These will not appear when the party is fighting a boss or other important enemy, as this is a story and not a fully fleshed out RPG. You all should know how the battles in _Persona_ work, as it's one of the most famous turn-based JRPG series ever made. If it helps just imagine this as actual gameplay, or an anime, whichever helps make this more realistic. Thank you for your time.)

"So that's what they really look like?" Takuya asked the White Rabbit.

"Actually, that's just one of many forms they can take on. We call these annoying things Pesces, they're pretty common around the Yousha campus. They're pretty weak for the most part, but don't get overconfident. They're mean and they work in teams," the White Rabbit explained.

"So what's the plan?" Takuya asked.

"Well luckily, the Shadows aren't as proactive as you might think. As long as you make sure they don't get the jump on you, they won't attack until you come at them first. Apparently they're smart enough to be wary of people who aren't fooled by their tricks. So as long as you make sure they don't attack you first, you'll have the upper hand. Alternatively, if you're able to attack the before they can change into their true form you'll have a great advantage in battle. Or if you're really strong, like me, you'll be able to completely destroy them without even breaking a sweat," the White Rabbit explained. "Now that we're in battle I'll teach you the basics. Since we have the first move, you can choose how to proceed. You can attack them with your weapon, summon your Persona to fight, defend yourself against an incoming enemy attack, use an item to help turn the battle in your favor, or even run away."

Takuya sweatdropped. "This is sounding more and more like a video game with each passing second."

"It actually helps to think of it as a game, at least that's the way I've always thought of it," the White Rabbit replied with an added giggle. "Now then, I'll go first and show you how it's done. Watch and learn, newbie." The White Rabbit raised up her left arm and a bright white light appeared from underneath her tail coat jacket's sleeve. The white light came from the tattoo on her left arm which was illuminated by the glow. Her tattoo was a heart that appeared to be frozen in any icy shell. The White Rabbit smirked. "It's time to play, Alice!" And then the White Rabbit's Persona appeared behind her. The Persona was a small girl with long blonde hair, porcelain skin, and dazzling blue eyes. She wore a blue dress shirt underneath a sparkly white dress with a blue sash around her waist, and a black bowtie around her collar. She also wore a pair of long white socks, a pair of black dress shoes, and a blue headband and bow in her hair. Upon being summoned, Alice let out a small mischievous giggle.

"Whoa," Takuya mouthed as he stared in marvel at the White Rabbit's Persona. Despite Alice's delicate looks, Takuya couldn't help but feel the insane power she was holding onto.

The White Rabbit giggled. "Seems like you've sensed Alice's true power. Don't worry, I'm going to hold her back for now. This is training for you, Sin-kun. Remember?" The White Rabbit turned her attention back to the Pesce Shadows. "Alright now first off, I'm going to teach you all about your Persona. Each Persona has a different set of skills and abilities, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Alice, for example is a master of ice and curse skills, so naturally any Shadow using ice or curse will have no effect against her. But because of that, she's also weak to fire and bless skills. You always want to keep in mind what your Persona's strengths and weaknesses are. Remember, they're a part of you, so their strengths and weaknesses are your strengths and weaknesses too. Always being aware of this will make most battles easy as hell."

"So there are elements involved in Personas' and Shadows' skills?" Takuya asked.

"Right. There are elemental strengths and weaknesses: fire, ice, electricity, wind, water, earth, psychic, nuclear, bless, curse, and the rarest of them all, almighty. And in addition there's physical strengths and weaknesses: slash, strike, and pierce. Depending on the Persona you have, you can be strong or weak in any of those fourteen categories. Here let me show you an example. Alice, **Bufula**!" Alice raised her hand up in the air and then pointed at one of the Pesce Shadows. Then a large blast of ice appeared out of thin air and struck the Pesce Shadow. Then the Pesce Shadow burst into tiny pieces of darkness. "These kinds of Pesces are weak to ice and wind, so taking them out is no problem. Now sometimes, when you take advantage of an enemy's weakness and either destroy them or knock them down, you'll get a chance to do something else before the Shadows move in for a counterattack. But I think I'll let you take care of the last one instead, just keep that in mind for later. Now then, show me what you've got, Sin-kun."

Takuya nodded and then in the same manner the White Rabbit did before, Takuya used his tattoo to summon his Persona, Zenbyou. "Come forth, Zenbyou!" Takuya shouted as Zenbyou appeared from behind him. " **Garu**!" Takuya shouted and pointed at the remaining Pesce Shadow. Then Zenbyou twirled his scythe in the air and made several green whirlwinds appear out of thin air and threw them at the Pesce Shadow. And just like the last one, it burst into darkness.

"Nice one, Sin-kun. Now remember, to check where the Shadows were standing after the battle as sometimes they drop items and money," the White Rabbit explained.

"This is really starting to feel like a video game now," Takuya replied with an added sweatdrop.

* * *

BATTLE TUTORIAL #1 END

* * *

"Alright, the path is clear, onto the second floor. We've got a lot more ground to cover," said the White Rabbit. "And make sure you grab sleeping beauty over there too." She pointed to Ayuka. Takuya nodded and gave his scythe back to the White Rabbit and went to collect Ayuka again. When he was out of earshot, the White Rabbit whispered to herself, "Looks like we've found a really interesting one, Prospero."

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Meanwhile, back in the world of the living. The Student Council of Yousha Academy had just assembled for an emergency meeting called by the Demon Disciplinarian, Akio Handa. Of course, only he knew exactly what it was about. When it seemed like everyone in the Student Council room was seated and quiet, Akio began to speak. "Okay looks like everyone here's been accounted for. We can start now. Endou-san, I know you're usually in charge of the meetings, but I'd like to ask for you to make an exception just for today. The main office and faculty entrusted me with making sure you were all properly informed after all," Akio said to the Student Council President, Michiko Endou.

Michiko nodded. "It's okay, Handa-kun. You can proceed."

"Thank you," Akio replied. Then he walked to the front of the room and stood up behind a large podium. First he made sure all eyes were on him, and then he began to speak. "Half an hour ago, I was summoned to the main office where the headmaster shared with me some very troubling news. I'm sorry to say that earlier this morning, one of our students…" Akio struggled to get the words out, "…was found dead in their bedroom by their parents."

There were a few gasps and murmurs from the rest of the Student Council, but Michiko managed to calm them down. "Everyone please! This is obviously very troubling but we need to hear the rest of what Handa-kun has to say!" she exclaimed. Then everyone quieted back down and Akio continued to speak.

"Thank you, Endou-san," Akio replied. "As you can imagine the coroners haven't performed an official autopsy yet, but at this current time this student's death is ruled…" Akio sighed before saying the rest, "…a suicide."

"A…suicide?" Fuyumi repeated the words to herself in confusion.

"Did the headmaster tell you who this student was, Handa-senpai?" Kimura, the Student Council Treasurer, asked.

Akio nodded. "The parents of the deceased have asked that their name not be revealed yet, not until they can get the proper things in order. The student's identity will be revealed to the rest of the academy tomorrow during a memorial service for the deceased. Until then, the headmaster wants us to keep this information to ourselves."

"Who's the deceased, Handa-kun?" Michiko repeated the question.

Akio gave a sad look to Michiko. "Endou-san, I'm sorry to say that the student was a member of your orchestra club. A second year named Haruna Iwasaki."

Michiko's eyes widened and she sat back in her chair with a very surprised look on her face. "Can't be. No, Iwasaki-chan…no. How could this have happened?"

"Senpai, you can't blame yourself," Fuyumi tried to comfort Michiko, but her words fell on deaf ears. Michiko had gone completely silent.

"The police are currently still investigating, but the headmaster has asked me to inform you all that even in the event that the cause of death remains unchanged people will now be looking at our school with an even large microscope than before. As you and I all know, in these situations more often the cause can be traced back to bullying. And if that turns out to be the case in Haruna Iwasaki's death, then we have to honor her by making sure that nothing like this ever happens again to one of our students. We are the Student Council, we're here to guide our fellow students in the right direction. Next week for our regularly scheduled meeting, I'd like everyone to be thinking of ways that we can be more proactive and involved in the daily life of the academy, because even one student feeling the way that Iwasaki-san felt is unacceptable. Not one more fucking student will die on my watch, dammit!" Akio shouted as he slammed his fist down on the podium. Then he took a deep breath and apologized for his actions. "Sorry, I'm just as upset about this as all of you are. I'm in charge of discipline, if a student was being bullied on my watch, then I feel just as responsible as the bully for not doing anything to stop them."

"Handa-senpai," Fuyumi said his name under her breath and gave him a look of concern.

"Hey, Handa-senpai?" another Student Council member called out to Akio. "I know I'm probably not the only one who's thinking this, but is it possible that Yousha Unmasked is connected to this in some way?"

"So far no theories have been made, but in my personal opinion, all the chaos that's been happening at Yousha lately is because of that damn blog." Akio clenched his fists. "If it turns out to be involved in any way in Iwasaki's death, I will personally make sure that the bastard behind it will be tried in a court of law for murder. Things are going to change around here, and I ask that all of you help me make sure they do. Anyway, that's all I have to say. If there's nothing further to add, everyone's dismissed." And with that, Akio opened the room's door and walked out. Then after that, the other Student Council members followed his lead and left as well. The only ones who remained behind were Michiko, who was too distraught to even move, and Fuyumi, who was concerned for Michiko's well-being.

"Senpai, it's not your…" Fuyumi was about to repeat her previous words to Michiko, when Michiko cut her off.

"Yes it is, no matter what you say, it is absolutely my fault. She was in my club, Miyazaki-chan. She was one of our most gifted performers, she had such a bright future ahead of her. She loved playing the viola more than anything else, whenever we were practicing she had this huge smile on her face." Michiko couldn't stop herself from shedding tears. "And I had no idea, how much she was suffering. Now she's gone, and it's my fault for not helping her. How can I…?" She began to cry into her hands. "How can I ever forgive myself?" she mumbled.

"…" Fuyumi didn't know what to say, so she decided to simply let Michiko cry and hold her close. She felt that all she could do for her at that moment was comfort her.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Back in Limbo, Takuya, the White Rabbit, and an unconscious Ayuka continued on through the second floor of the arts and clubs building, determined to get to the first floor and face off against Takuya's Shadow. Things had been pretty easy so far, all the Shadows that the group had ran into were easily defeated by the combined efforts of Takuya and the White Rabbit. Takuya actually thought that fighting his Shadow would be pretty easy with her at his side. At least until he came face to face with "him" yet again.

A Shadow version of Takuya's old friend, Christopher DeBlanc, appeared in front of the group once again. "Why do you keep doing this, Takuya? Do you really think brandishing around that stupid scythe of yours and calling out that ugly gremlin you love so much is going to make up for what you did? Yeah fighting some crazy war in this ridiculous world is really going to help set things straight," Chris sarcastically said.

"…" Takuya went silent.

"You're pathetic. Even now, you're still running from your sins. That's all you can do, isn't it you coward?" Chris said with a snicker.

Takuya growled. "Shut up! You're not real!"

Chris smiled. "Keep telling yourself that." Then the Shadow copying Chris was destroyed with a single blow the White Rabbit, using Takuya's scythe. The Shadow disappeared into the darkness.

"That's really odd, that wasn't an ordinary illusion. I didn't sense it coming at all," said the White Rabbit.

"Wh-What does that mean?" Takuya replied.

"I'm not entirely sure," the White Rabbit replied. Then she sighed. "But anyway, we have more important matters to deal with right now, I'm sensing an insanely strong Shadow down below us. That's got to be yours. We should hurry and…" the White Rabbit's eyes widened. "Huh? That's odd."

"What is it?" Takuya asked as he sat Ayuka down on the floor.

"There's two of them now. There's two insanely strong Shadows. I thought you said that yours was the only one that was here," the White Rabbit replied.

"It's supposed to be," Takuya simply replied.

"That's really odd," the White Rabbit replied. "What is going on here?" she asked herself. And then her eyes widened again. "Hang on, looks like we've got some uninvited guests to deal with right now." Suddenly two Shadows appeared out of nowhere and morphed into their true forms. Two pink and black striped floating orbs with big pairs of red lips and big black tongues. They also had blue masks strapped to their backs. "Hablerie Shadows, watch out! These guys are nasty!"

* * *

BATTLE TUTORIAL #2

* * *

As soon as the battle commenced, the Hablerie Shadows went in for the attack. They used their large tongues like whips to administer strong lashes to Takuya and the White Rabbit, knocking them back on their feet. "Geez, you weren't kidding," Takuya replied as he got back up on his feet. "It's payback time. Come forth, Zen…!"

The White Rabbit cut off Takuya's Persona summoning. "Wait, you've summoned your Persona every time you've fought so far. There's a limit to how much you can use it you know?"

"Eh? There is?" Takuya asked.

"You haven't noticed yet? All your adrenaline must be blocking your fatigue. Listen up, Sin-kun. Personas are a part of us, the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. So naturally if we overuse them we'll exhaust ourselves really easily. Think about it this way, each skill our Persona uses drains a little bit of your energy either your physical power which we'll call HP or your spiritual power which we'll call…umm, SP," the White Rabbit explained.

Takuya groaned. "Ugh, more video game metaphors? You're seriously trying to make this into an RPG, aren't you?"

"The method works, don't go hating it," the White Rabbit replied. "Now then, sometimes in battles you'll have to rely on your own strengths to fight instead of just relying on your Persona. You've got that huge scythe; why don't you try sinking it into some Shadows like I did earlier?"

"I guess it's worth a shot," Takuya said as he brandished his scythe. He aimed for the Hablerie Shadow on the left and then ran up to it and gave it a big slash with his scythe. Black ooze dripped out of the Hablerie Shadow and it fell to the ground.

"Nice, Sin-kun! Go for the other one too while it's distracted!" the White Rabbit shouted. Takuya nodded and then slashed the one right. And like before, it fell to the ground after oozing profusely. "Awesome. Let me explain what just happened, sometimes you get a little lucky and are able to knock out the Shadows really easily, if you successfully knock out one then you get an opportunity to go for the other one, and so on, and so on. And if all the Shadows on the field are knocked out at the same time you're able to finish them off in a super flashy way."

Takuya sighed. "I know I'm going to regret asking, but in what super flashy way?" he asked.

"We get the chance to attack together and administer an All-Out Attack on the enemy," the White Rabbit replied in a giddy tone. "An All-Out Attack is super strong too, it's on par with an almighty skill so any Shadow that's hit with one is completely wiped out."

"That actually sounds kind of cool, alright I'm game. Let's teach them a lesson," Takuya replied enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit, Sin-kun! Let's go!" the White Rabbit exclaimed as she jumped into the air and began throwing her boomerang-like playing cards at the Hablerie Shadows. And then Takuya followed her lead and began slashing the Hablerie Shadows relentlessly with his scythe. When the two Reapers retreated, the Hablerie Shadows burst in darkness.

"Victory!" the White Rabbit exclaimed.

* * *

BATTLE TUTORIAL #2 END

* * *

"Alright we've wasted enough time here. Come on, Sin-kun, our final objective awaits," said the White Rabbit as she grabbed ahold of Takuya's scythe again. Takuya nodded and then went to collect Ayuka.

"It won't be long now, Ayuka. We'll get you back to the living world soon," he said to the still unconscious girl.

"When this is all said and done, I'd try and convince her this was all a dream if I were you. A normal person knowing about Limbo is kind of problematic," the White Rabbit replied.

"Good idea, considering what she's been through I think she'll be grateful to believe it," Takuya replied as he followed the White Rabbit down the stairs to the first floor.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

As Takuya followed the White Rabbit down the stairs he thought about the fight that was ahead of him. And then when he least expected it a familiar voice called out to him at the bottom of the stairs. " _Be wary of the people thee choose to place thy faith in, young child of man,_ " When he heard that familiar soothing voice he instantly began to look around him.

"It's you again? Where are you?" he searched around him for any signs of the blue butterfly.

" _Thee currently wanders a realm which has been barred off from the likes of me. As such, only my thoughts will reach thee. Heed my warning, young child of man. The end may come sooner than thou expecteth. Twould be smart to prepare for the coming battle. Thou dost not know what trickery is afoot._ " And then just like that, the voice of the mysterious blue butterfly vanished yet again.

"What does that mean?" Takuya asked himself.

"Hey, Sin-kun. What's the hold up?" the White Rabbit asked Takuya.

"Oh, nothing," Takuya replied as he followed after his ally, an unconscious friend in hand. Heading into unknown danger.

* * *

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE FOR A WHILE AFTER THIS.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE THE GAME NOW?

* * *

YES

NO

* * *

Yes.

(A/N: This is to let you know a boss battle is about to come up. Look forward to it.)

* * *

A/N: As our hero draws ever closer to the darkness inside him, the danger surrounding him grows ever larger. And what of this warning that the blue butterfly brings? For all these answers and more, stay tuned.


	14. Chapter XI

A/N: (I'm sorry for dragging this out for so long. But before we go any further I want you guys to know that I do care about this story deeply, it's my first official _Persona_ fanfic after all. And when I first had the idea for this, I envisioned it like an actual _Persona_ game, in the way that it's going to take a long, long, long, long time for it to end. Almost a whole year will pass by, just like in most of the games. I wish I could just speed through things like they did in the P4 anime but I really don't want to, I think this story will be much better if you enjoy it in its totality, no filler or extra details left out. Honestly, I expect this will take a few years at the most to completely finish. I wish I could make it go by sooner, but I'm just one person and I have a life outside of writing fanfiction day in and day out. So I ask that you please bear with me, I know for a fact there's a lot of fanfics that go on for years and they never lose their followers. I hope that this will become one of these fanfics. So here's hoping you continue to read on and follow.)

Welcome back to my domain young children of man. Now before we begin, shall we review what has transpired so far? Our young hero has awakened to the power of Persona at last, but his Reaper powers have still yet to reach their full potential. According to the mysterious ally that our hero has gained, he will only gain access to his full power when his Shadow is defeated once and for all. To truly become a being that's neither light nor darkness, our hero must destroy his Shadow. He must kill himself. A daunting task to be sure, I wonder will our hero be able to accomplish it? Or maybe, something even more curious will transpire? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XI: I'm you, and you're me**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

The White Rabbit ran ahead, while Takuya followed behind her as fast as he could, trying to be careful as to not lose his grip on Ayuka and accidently drop her. Then all of a sudden, the White Rabbit stopped dead in her tracks. Takuya caught up to her and saw what it was that caused her to stop running. They had come face to face with their objective, Berserk Shadow Takuya. Just like Takuya remembered, Berserk Shadow Takuya wore a large billowing dark gray, hooded cloak which covered everything except for his hands which were covered by a pair of black gloves, and he also wore a white sash over his shoulders that had Enochian symbols written on it in black. The hood was pulled completely over his head, so his face was impossible to make out. He also had four large, white feathery wings which crossed his back in an X formation. He held a large sword in his right hand that had a golden cross for the handle.

Berserk Shadow Takuya let out a wicked cackle upon seeing the party of three. "Well done on making it this far, you worthless shell. And I see you've picked up a stray along the way here," he noted as he looked towards the White Rabbit. "So you've awakened to the power of Persona too, have you? You're not like him at all, I can tell. You might actually be able to destroy me."

"That's the plan," the White Rabbit replied in a snarky tone.

Berserk Shadow Takuya cackled again. "I see, I see. Well hopefully all that confidence of yours rubbed off on my former self here. He's the weakest of them all. Even now, I can feel his fear. He may seem confident on the outside, but inside he's shaking in his boots." He turned back to face Takuya. "What's the matter? Haven't you overcome your fears yet? Didn't you say earlier that you would prove how different we were? Well I'm waiting, why don't you attack me?"

"…" Takuya remained silent.

"Insolent little puppy. You're all bark and no bite. You couldn't even defeat one of my clones, that's how weak you are. What makes you think you have a chance against the original?" Berserk Shadow Takuya asked.

"Things are different now, I've got Sin-kun's back. We're taking you down together," the White Rabbit replied.

"I see. Is that so?" Berserk Shadow Takuya cackled again. "Well then by all means, come at me. I can't wait to smite you worthless pieces of garbage."

Takuya propped Ayuka against a wall, a good distance away from the battle that was about to occur. Then he turned back to face his Shadow. "I'm done listening to what you say. You keep telling me that I'm weak, that I'm worthless, that I deserve to die. Well you're wrong." The White Rabbit threw Takuya his scythe and he gratefully accepted it, and then brandished it menacingly. "I'm not the weak one here, you are! All you are is a coward who runs away from confrontation, who belittles and bullies others, who fights from the safety of the shadows! You're not going to control my life anymore! This is the end for you! Prepare to die!" Takuya exclaimed.

Angered by Takuya's words, Berserk Shadow Takuya lunged at Takuya and readied his sword to attack. "I'll show you who's weak! **Heavenly Slash**!" he shouted. And much like before, a large wave of light bounced off of the sword and flew towards Takuya and the White Rabbit. But Takuya didn't back down, instead he readied himself by planting his feet firmly on the ground and rapidly spinning his scythe in front of him. When Berserk Shadow Takuya's attack hit Takuya's scythe, Takuya was knocked back momentarily but soon he managed to get a stronger grip on his scythe and stop the attack dead in its tracks, and then he deflected it into the right side of the hallway. Takuya had actually managed to defend against one of his Berserk Shadow's attacks with nothing but his own strength. "What?! Impossible!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted.

"You should pay attention during a battle!" the White Rabbit exclaimed. During his confusion, Berserk Shadow Takuya didn't notice the White Rabbit snuck up behind him. She jumped up into the air and threw her razor sharp playing cards at him, cutting him in several places. Then the White Rabbit gracefully jumped over Berserk Shadow Takuya's head and grabbed her cards as they came out on the other side of him.

"Arrgh! You fucking gnats!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted. "I'll kill you! **Heavenly Dual Slash**!" Then Berserk Shadow Takuya used his sword to cut an X made of light into the air and then fired it at Takuya and the White Rabbit.

"Get behind me!" Takuya shouted at the White Rabbit, who heeded his warning and did as she was told. "Come forth, Zenbyou!" Takuya shouted as he summoned his Persona. " **Shinigami Shroud**!" Takuya shouted, wasting no time in preparing to defend against the attack. And much like before, Zenbyou used his free arm to cover up his face and a few moments later a dark-blue aura appeared in front of Takuya, Zenbyou, and the White Rabbit. The aura morphed and formed a protective shell, which nullified the Shadow's attack and cancelled it.

"Whoa, that's fucking awesome! A defense skill and a cancel skill rolled into one! Your Persona's amazing!" the White Rabbit exclaimed.

Unfortunately, this just made Berserk Shadow Takuya even angrier. He flew at Takuya and the White Rabbit and began firing off attack after attack. "Try and block this!" he shouted. After sustaining a few more attacks, it looked like Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud was beginning to weaken.

"Dammit, we can't take much more of this," said Takuya.

"I've got you covered," the White Rabbit replied. Then she summoned her Persona into battle as well. "Time to play, Alice!" Alice giggled mischievously as she was summoned. " **Bufula**!" The White Rabbit shouted as Alice raised her hand and fired a beam of ice at Berserk Shadow Takuya, managing to stop his relentless attacks.

Then Takuya followed up by using his own Persona to fight. He lowered Shinigami Shroud and then ordered Zenbyou to attack his Shadow. " **Garu**!" Zenbyou's scythe created a series of green whirlwinds and fired them at Berserk Shadow Takuya.

"Arrgh!" Berserk Shadow Takuya yelped as he sustained the attacks. "That's it, I'm through playing around! Prepare to die! **Shadow Split**!" And then suddenly, Berserk Shadow Takuya created three clones of himself out of the darkness. The four Berserk Shadow Takuyas formed a circle around Takuya and the White Rabbit and then readied to attack them all at once. "You will be punished!" all the Berserk Shadow Takuyas shouted.

"I don't think so! Sin-kun, you might want to brace yourself, things are going to get a little bumpy," she said to Takuya.

"Eh?" Takuya replied.

"Remember I told you that I was holding back my true power? Well I think it's time I showed you how far apart we really are. Check this out. Alice, **Die For Me**!" Then suddenly Alice's eyes glazed over and became snow white in color. Then she twirled around in midair and then snapped her fingers, giggling wickedly as she did so. And then the strangest thing happened. Spear-wielding card soldiers straight out of _Alice in Wonderland_ fell down from the sky and rained down upon the Berserk Shadow Takuyas, making them scream in pain as they did so. Then all the Berserk Shadow Takuyas, except for the original one, burst into darkness.

The original was still alive, but badly beaten. It couldn't even float properly anymore. "Damn you! Damn you!" Berserk Shadow Takuya shouted in between his pants.

"Alright, let's finish it off! Ready, Sin-kun?!" the White Rabbit exclaimed.

"Ready!" Takuya replied. Then the two Grim Reapers lunged at Berserk Shadow Takuya and finished him off with a powerful All-Out Attack.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" Berserk Shadow Takuya exclaimed in pain. When Takuya and the White Rabbit retreated, he dropped his sword to the floor below and then his wings gave out and he fell down to the floor as well. Then the darkness surrounding him began to fade, and his Berserk form with it. A few moments later he was back to being his regular form. Shadow Takuya panted heavily as he pushed himself up off the floor. "D-Dammit," he stuttered. Takuya and the White Rabbit walked up to Shadow Takuya and looked at him menacingly from up above. He realized the position he was in, there was nothing more that he could do. "Y-You win, you're the better version," he said to Takuya in a distasteful tone.

"So it's over, eh?" Takuya asked the White Rabbit.

She shook her head. "No, not yet. You won't truly become a Reaper until the job is finished. Kill him."

"What?" Takuya was confused.

"That's how it works, if you want to be a Reaper you can be neither light nor dark, neither good nor evil. In order for you to become truly awakened, you have to completely destroy the darkness inside of you," the White Rabbit explained.

"But, I thought that just meant the darkness that was running wild. We took care of that, he's back to just being a normal Shadow. Can't we just leave it at that?" Takuya asked.

The White Rabbit shook her head. "No, you'd still be incomplete that way. There can't be any darkness within you at all."

Shadow Takuya's eyes widened in fear. "What?" he replied.

"I-Is that really the only way?" Takuya was conflicted.

"It must be done. As long as he's around, there's always a chance he can go wild again." The White Rabbit withdrew her cards. "Every Shadow must be exterminated."

"N-No. Pl-Please. D-Don't." Shadow Takuya looked petrified. He sat up on the floor and backed away from Takuya and the White Rabbit in fear.

"…" Takuya silently walked towards his retreating Shadow, scythe in hand. The White Rabbit followed, waiting for the chance to strike.

"Pl-Please. Ha-Have mercy. I le-learned my le-lesson, I sw-swear!" Shadow Takuya exclaimed in fear.

"…" Takuya raised his scythe overhead and prepared to strike down his Shadow.

"I…I w-won't hurt an-anyone ever ag-again! Ju-Just please!" Shadow Takuya exclaimed. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Takuya was conflicted. 'He looks so scared. I didn't know a Shadow could act like this.' Takuya's scythe remained over his head. He couldn't decide whether or not to administer the killing blow to his Shadow. 'Is this really the only way? If it's the right thing to do, then why does it feels so wrong? I don't know what to do.'

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

KILL YOUR SHADOW

SPARE YOUR SHADOW

* * *

Spare your Shadow.

Then Takuya lowered his scythe and Shadow Takuya flinched and closed his eyes, awaiting the end. And then Shadow Takuya was surprised to see when he opened his eyes a few moments later, Takuya standing over him with his hand outstretched. "Need a hand?" Takuya asked his Shadow.

Shadow Takuya accepted the gesture in a hesitant manner, and then Takuya lifted him back up on to his feet. "What are you doing, Sin-kun? He's your Shadow. He's the part of yourself that you hate the most. Why don't you want to destroy him?" the White Rabbit asked in a confused manner.

Takuya shook his head. "I wanted to destroy my inner cowardice. I did that on my own. I stood up to my Shadow and beat it, I'm not a coward anymore." Then he looked to his Shadow. "Which means you don't have to be a coward anymore either."

"What?" the White Rabbit replied in confusion.

"What?" Shadow Takuya also replied in confusion.

"I was wrong to say that you weren't me. I realize now, denying your existence is what turned you into the monster that you were. I've been denying you for so long now, pretending that you weren't there even though I could feel you deep inside. I hid you from the world and never let you out, because I didn't want to be seen as weak for being afraid. Looking back on it, you must have been so lonely. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way," Takuya apologized to his Shadow.

"…" Shadow Takuya didn't know how to respond.

"I think I realize now, that denying your fears is just as bad as running away from them. You were right all along, when I found out what Chris was planning I didn't confront him because I was afraid of what would happen if I did. It could've ruined our friendship, or even worse I could've pushed him over the edge. But by not doing anything to help my friend, and denying those fears I had I inadvertently caused that tragedy. Chris was a real idiot for making us worry about him so much, wasn't he?" Then he chuckled. "But we were being idiots too, weren't we? I kept denying the obvious because I was too afraid to accept it and I ended up being too late to save our friend. And in the meantime, your hatred of me for denying you festered and festered until it came bubbling up to the surface. We were both dealing with our problems by keeping them bottled up inside." Takuya shook his head. "But I'm not going to do that anymore, each obstacle that appears in front of me, each hardship I have to overcome, no matter how much they hurt, no matter how much they scare me, I will face them head on and won't stop fighting until I win. I want to change for the better, and I want you to change with me." Takuya extended his right hand to his Shadow.

"I'm you, and you're me. Like it or not, we're stuck with each other. So what do you say we start fresh from here on out? We can work together instead of trying to suppress and control one another, and I know we'll both be better as a team. So what do you say, partner? Will you fight by my side?"

Shadow Takuya hesitated before grabbing ahold of Takuya's hand and shaking it. He smiled at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that a lot actually." Then a bright aura began to envelop Shadow Takuya and soon his body began to fade away into a bright light, until nothing was left of him but a small ball made up of darkness and light. Takuya reached out to touch it, and when he did it surprised him by flying into his chest and going through his heart. The moment the ball entered him, Takuya felt a sense of euphoric bliss. It was almost like all of the worries and doubts that he had been holding onto for so long had finally been freed. Takuya turned back to face the White Rabbit.

"I guess you were wrong, there is another way. Instead of destroying our darkness, we can just embrace it. Because when you embrace your inner darkness, you can share your inner light with it. Neither darkness nor light, but something different altogether. I think this is true neutrality."

"It can't be. An entirely new method for creating Reapers? Your power is really different now, I can sense it. How? How is this possible?" the White Rabbit replied in a flabbergasted tone.

Takuya chuckled in delight. "Well all that matters is that we completed our mission. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."

The White Rabbit sighed. "I guess you're right, no harm, no foul. Truth be told, I wish I had discovered that method when I fought against my Shadow. I was just so mad at it that I didn't even think twice about killing it. You're really something, Sin-kun. You helped me defeat your Shadow and helped me find out some really interesting information. Prospero and the others are going to praise me for this. Oh yeah, speaking of which. Do you have some time after this, Sin-kun? I'm sure the others would love to…" Suddenly a blade made of pure darkness pierced the White Rabbit's abdomen, shocking both her and Takuya.

The White Rabbit looked down to her waist and saw that blood was pouring out of the wound. The blade of darkness withdrew itself from the White Rabbit's abdomen and then she silently fell to the ground as blood slowly pooled beneath her fallen body. Takuya froze at the sight of the blade that stabbed the White Rabbit, as well as the owner of said blade. It appeared to be a dark-purple, miasmic-like Shadow. Only it didn't look like a normal Shadow, though it was just a silhouette it looked more like some kind of monstrous abomination, much like his Shadow's Berserk form. A pair of dark red eyes, belonging to the creature, opened and glared at Takuya. "So you're the second person to tame their inner darkness, eh?" an odd voice called out to him. Another silhouette approached Takuya. Whoever this person was, they hid themselves in the shadows. And from the sound of it, they were wearing some kind of device to disguise their voice. "Another kid, why am I not surprised? You know, Limbo's been really lousy with brats lately. I remember the good old days, when it was just me, myself, and I here."

"…" Takuya was speechless; he didn't know what to do.

"This bunny brat in particular has been very annoying. Coming in here all hours of the day, you'd think she has no life outside of this world. She's part of a larger outfit too, you know? There's six of them in all, and they're led by some brat named Prospero. I learned to recognize their auras. Each of them has a different one, you know? You however, have a completely different aura. So you're a newbie, eh? And yet, you're the first one to realize the true power of a Reaper. Such a smart boy." Then the mysterious individual cackled madly.

"Who…? Who are you?" Takuya managed to say.

"Me? What a silly question to ask. The great thing about this world, is that you get to play the role of someone you're not. For the longest time, I've called this place my own. I was the only one who could access it, and now brats are coming here left and right. So it ticks me off a little bit that so many of you are special, like me," the mysterious individual explained.

Then it came to Takuya. "You're a Persona user. You're a Grim Reaper too."

"Ding-ding-ding. Give him a prize. But you're wrong about one teensy little detail. I'm not a Grim Reaper. I'm the Grim Reaper." Finally, the mysterious individual came into the light and revealed that they were wearing a black hoodie, long black pants, black boots, and a pair of black gloves. And last but not least, they wore a crazy-looking, white skull mask on their face. "Call me Death."

* * *

A/N: A dark and terrifying new enemy faces our young hero. Will he survive or will he perish so soon after fully becoming a Reaper? Stay tuned to find out.

(Last update for a month or so. Will return with several posts at once as promised. I'm making it my goal to form the party of four before Christmas. Wish me luck.)


	15. Chapter XII

A/N: (Alright, bad news. I'm a month later than I thought I would be and a few chapters short of Ryuta's awakening. Sorry, to everyone who was waiting patiently. It appears I cannot stick to a deadline for the life of me. I'm still writing though, so hopefully you'll continue to be patient. Ryuta's awakening isn't that far off now, and at least I'm finally past the first day. I was going to wait until I finished Ryuta's awakening to post anything but I've figured that you've all been waiting long enough so I hope you enjoy this five-chapter post. I'll talk to you in my normal voice again at the end.)

A powerful foe stands against our young hero now. A Persona user, and from the looks of it a very dangerous one indeed. Who is this masked marauder that refers to himself as Death? Wouldst thou like to find out?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XII: Painful memories**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

* * *

"D-Death?" Takuya replied in a frightened tone. "Wh-What do you mean you're Death?"

The mysterious individual, who referred to himself as Death, laughed in an odd mechanical tone due to their voice distorting device. "What I mean, is what I say. I am Death, plain and simple," Death explained after he was finished laughing.

"But…no, Death is supposed to be some sort of omnipotent being, not a Persona user," Takuya replied as he tried to make sense of this senseless situation. He looked down at the White Rabbit's body, she was still alive for now, but she appeared to have passed out from shock, much like Ayuka did before. Blood kept pooling out of her massive stab wound. She would be dead in minutes if Takuya didn't do something fast.

"Pay that little brat no mind, boy," said Death. "She's not worthy of your worries. None of those other brats are either. They run around in Limbo like it's their own private playground and fight Shadows left and right, blissfully unaware of the true darkness that lies deep within this reverse world." Death laughed again. "It's almost too pathetic to be funny. They have no earthly idea what's really going on here. I doubt very highly you do for that matter as well. Tell me boy, did your Shadow tell you anything before it went berserk? Something about a "certain someone" who's wreaking havoc in the mortal world by causing Shadows to go wild?"

"A certain someone?" Takuya's eyes widened. "Don't tell me. Were you the one who made my Shadow go berserk?"

Death scoffed. "Just as I thought, you have so much power, yet you know so very little."

"Okay then, if that's not who you are, then who are you exactly?" Takuya asked.

"Are you hard of hearing boy? I already introduced myself. I am Death, plain and simple," said Death.

"What do you mean? How can you be Death? You're mortal, aren't you?" Takuya replied.

"Mortal?" Death replied before laughing again. "No one who roams Limbo is simply mortal. As Grim Reapers we exist in a constant state between life and death. We are neither living, nor dead. Neither light, nor darkness. I broke the chains that bound me to mortality long ago. For what's felt like an eternity, I have been the only person able to travel to and from this world, and then one day I sense brats scurrying about my world like they own the place." The dark creature that was behind Death growled in response.

Takuya backed up hesitantly. "Wh-What do you want?" he asked.

Death chuckled. "I want to be Death, that's all. And with so many of us being Grim Reapers, it's unclear who's really in charge of this world. So when I sensed you for the first time, I realized that more and more of you brats would keep coming here if I didn't act. So I finally decided what I was going to do. In order to truly become Death, I will make sure no other Reapers exist. I will become the one and only omnipotent being in this reverse world. It will be a world that's all my own, a paradise for no one but me. So as far as I'm concerned there can only be one true Grim Reaper, and that is Death himself." Death looked down at the White Rabbit's body. "She doesn't have long now. A real pity, she's going to die again without even scratching the surface of her true potential. But her's will be a necessary sacrifice in the end. As will yours, boy." Death raised his right hand up in the air and suddenly a weapon appeared out of thin air, and he clenched it tightly in his hand. It was a gruesome looking sickle blade that appeared to be made out of decaying bone. Death laughed menacingly. "Baku, feast on his soul!"

The strange creature behind Death growled menacingly, and that was when Takuya finally realized that the monstrous creature was actually Death's Persona. The monstrous Persona that was cloaked in a veil of miasma began to move forward, and when it came closer Takuya was finally able to make out some of its body. The Persona had large paws that appeared almost cat-like, and razor sharp dark purple colored claws. It had a body that was covered in shaggy hair, and an elephant-like trunk that nearly reached the floor; beneath its trunk was a twisted smile with sharp fangs, and it had two large tusks that appeared to be made out of pure darkness. Takuya recognized the tusks as being the blade that stabbed the White Rabbit a few minutes ago. When the Persona was right in front of Takuya it let out of a blood-curdling roar.

Death jumped on top of his Persona and cackled in delight at the terror on Takuya's face. "Yes, yes! That's it, fear me more! I am the one and only Death! Those who stand before me shall be cut down and devoured by Baku!" He called out to his Persona. "Baku, do it now! **Nightmare Sword**!" In response to its master's wishes, the Persona known as Baku, let out another blood-curdling roar. Then it raised its tusks and swung them back, and suddenly the tusks let out two large waves of darkness that tore through the hallway. Takuya knew it was suicide to even try and block the fearsome attacks so he quickly dodged them…or so he thought. However, the waves of darkness bounced off the walls and flew right back at him with increased momentum. He didn't have time to dodge and was instead horribly slashed by Baku's attack.

Takuya screamed in pain and fell to the floor, and then Baku didn't waste any time in stepping on top of Takuya's back. His scythe skidded across the floor and landed behind Death and Baku. It only took one attack for Death to take Takuya down for the count. And Takuya's powerful scream of agony caused an unconscious Ayuka to stir. She groaned and then slowly opened her eyes. "…Hmm? What happ…?" Before she could finish asking her rhetorical question, she saw the horrid sight of Takuya being crushed by a horrible monster. "Takuya!" she shouted her friend's name.

Death turned his head and took note of Ayuka. "Well hello, little girl. Whatever are you doing here?"

"…" Ayuka immediately went pale at the sight of Death.

Death cackled madly. "Aww, what's the matter? Do I scare you?"

"Leave her alone, you fucking psycho!" Takuya shouted at the top of his lungs, only for Baku to continue crushing the life out of him. Takuya powered through the pain and continued to shout. "Run, Ayuka! Run!"

"…" But Ayuka couldn't respond. She was literally frozen with fear.

"Oh so you know this girl, do you? I wonder, is she like you too? I don't sense anything from her, but that doesn't mean that her power's not there," said Death.

"Run, Ayuka! Run for your life!" Takuya shouted.

Ayuka finally came to her senses and heard Takuya's words. "B-But…but…I can't just…I can't just…" she struggled to find the words.

"Don't worry about me, just run!" Takuya shouted. "This guy's in a whole other league compared to me! Save yourself!"

"No, I can't just…leave you here," Ayuka replied.

"You have to! I'm begging you! Just run!" Takuya shouted.

"…" Ayuka started to back away.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Death called out to Ayuka. He hopped down from Baku's back and slowly began to approach Ayuka, who kept backing away to avoid him.

Then Ayuka almost tripped on something and turned around to see that the object in question was Takuya's scythe. She hesitated before grabbing it and brandishing it menacingly at Death. "Stay back! I'm warning you!" she shouted.

"Oh, feisty now, aren't we?" Death replied.

"I mean it! If you know what's good for you, you'll let my friend go and let us leave!" Ayuka shouted.

"Ayuka, don't be stupid! Run!" Takuya shouted.

"Oh really now?" Death replied. He crept closer to Ayuka and brandished his bone sickle. "And tell me little girl, what exactly do you plan to do with that?" he asked as he pointed at Takuya's scythe. Death could see right through Ayuka's veiled threat, and slowly fear took hold of her again. She began to back away once again, but Death just kept following her.

"Damn you! Leave her alone!" Takuya shouted. In response to Takuya's incessant interruptions Baku continued to crush Takuya, making him scream in pain once again.

"…" Ayuka had gone quiet, but she continued to hold Takuya's scythe up to protect herself as she continued to back away from Death.

Death chuckled. "You can't fool me, girl. I am Death, a force of nature incarnate. I can smell the fear that your body's putting off. You're so caked in the stench that I can practically taste it." Death held up his sickle in a threatening manner. "That's good. Fear me more. I want you to be afraid of me."

"Stop! Don't move!" Ayuka shouted. "I'm warning you for the last time!"

"Enough of these games, girl. I already said that you can't fool Death. Your harsh words are merely that…words. There is no power behind them. You know deep down that I'm going to kill you and your friend right here and now, I know you know this for certain, I can tell you're very smart. And yet, there's something else about you that catches my eye." Death nodded. "Ah, yes that's it. I sense it very clearly now. Beneath your overwhelming fear lies a small amount of relief. You want this to be over soon, very soon. Could it be? Do you really want to die, girl?"

"…" Ayuka's eyes widened in surprise.

"Interesting, very interesting. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you, girl. A person who wants to die but is still fighting to live?" Death chuckled. "You must have done something truly horrible to be torturing yourself like this. Won't you tell me what your sins are before I grant you your wish and end your suffering?" Death asked.

Ayuka looked like she was truly panicking at that point. She began to shake in fear and her hands started to tremble. It looked like she was losing her firm grasp on Takuya's scythe. ' _Nee-chan please…_ 'A voice crept inside her head. She recognized that voice all too well, it was a voice that led to a bad memory for her. A memory that had haunted the poor girl for years now. Then a few moments later, Ayuka suddenly stopped in her tracks and dropped the scythe on the floor. She couldn't stop shaking and her eyes were wide with terror. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she kept repeating over and over to herself.

Takuya's strength was fading fast. The amount of pain he felt was simply too great for his body to handle, in a few moments he would pass out from shock. He simply stared at Ayuka from across the room. She looked so scared, so lost. "Ay…u…ka." He stretched out his hand, hoping he could somehow reach her. "Ru…n." Then his hand fell to the floor and he entered unconsciousness.

"What's the matter? Can't you talk?" Death asked Ayuka. He crept closer to her until he was practically looming over her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Ayuka kept repeating to herself.

"Looks like your mind's already lost to the fear." Death cackled maniacally. "Why don't you join it in the beyond?!" Death swung his sickle back and readied himself to attack Ayuka. But then suddenly, the sound of a bullet being fired cut through the air, and then the next moment Death's sickle was knocked out of his hand. "Arrgh!" Death yelped in shock as the bullet nearly missed his hand. Death's sickle ended up falling to the floor a good distance behind him. He looked to his behind to locate his sickle, but before going to retrieve it he looked back ahead of him and saw an unfamiliar person step out of the shadows behind Ayuka.

Death noted the mysterious individual's odd wardrobe. He wore a baggy leather coat which was open and had silver belt clasps that hung down on its inner sides, over a dark brown shirt and a pair of black pants, which were held up by three diagonal hanging belts with silver buckles. What appeared to be flash grenades, were clasped to his belts. He also wore a silver armor chest plate which was complete with leather shoulder straps, a black scarf with a skull jaw bone design that lined up perfectly with the hidden lower part the mysterious individual's face, an odd looking bionic brace on his right arm, a pair of black gloves, and a black bounty hunter cowboy hat with a brown band. The mysterious individual's eyes were blood red in color from what Death could see, and he held a wicked looking silver revolver in his right hand. The revolver was still smoking, showing that it had just been fired. "Who the hell are you?" Death asked.

"…" Ayuka turned around to see the mysterious individual as well.

"Me? Why, I'm just a friendly stranger passing through," said the mysterious individual.

Death chuckled. "You're another one of those brats. I'd recognize your auras anywhere. Are you that Prospero guy that I always hear talk about?"

"Ah, so you know the boss, eh? Well I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, Prospero felt like there's been someone watching us for a while now. Who would've thought a Persona user like you would be causing havoc in here. A little interrogation if I may? Do you by any chance know a shady business man who carries a gold pocket watch?" the mysterious individual asked.

"Pocket watch? What the hell are you talking about?" Death asked.

"Your employer. Surely you wouldn't be here wreaking havoc without some kind of goal, correct? Tell me, did the man I speak of hire you to do this because of your specific set of skills?" the mysterious individual replied.

Death chuckled. "Employer? I'm not working for anyone but myself."

"Then why hide your voice?" the mysterious individual asked.

"Because I've got to hide my identity from all the ghosts that are prowling about this place. You never know when one is going to turn nasty. I'd like to be as anonymous as possible. And as for my goal in being here, I'm trying to clean Limbo up of all the brats that are running around. It seems like these days that anyone can become a Grim Reaper. I liked it better when it was just me who could come here and do these amazing things. And now I have to share my paradise with a bunch of snot-nosed brats? I don't think so. Call me Death as I am the only true Grim Reaper, and I am going to make sure it stays that way," Death explained.

"I see, so you're not in league with the person we're trying to stop but you're against justice at the same time," the mysterious individual. "Then allow me to introduce myself. I'm the wanderer of the desolate plain who yearns for justice in this dark world of ours. And in order to bring about that justice I shall shoot down any evil-doer who stands in my way." The mysterious individual twirled their revolver around by the trigger ring using their pointer finger. "I go by the name Revenant, and my quick draw is not to be challenged."

"So are you going to try and fight me now?" Death asked.

"I'm not suicidal. I know you're way out of my league. You took down Rabbit easily and she's one of our best Persona users. I wouldn't stand a chance," Revenant replied. "However, regardless of the facts, you're going to leave and allow me to collect my fallen comrade and those other two you're messing with right there."

Death cackled maniacally. "Oh am I? Well then, by all means tell me. Why am I going to do that?"

Revenant holstered his revolver and then reached into his leather coat and pulled out a white business card. Then he threw the business card to Death, who caught it. "Because, I can get you in contact with Prospero. He figured that the person who was following us would want to get in contact with him eventually. For one reason or another. That's his card, it's how we got into contact with him initially. You can have mine, I've got the number memorized," said Revenant, as he pointed to his brain.

Death gave the card a simple once over, and then he scoffed. "So you're telling me that if I call this number I can get in touch with your leader?"

"That's how he originally sought us out. And even if your aim is to kill him and the rest of us, I'm sure he wouldn't turn away a simple phone call. Heck knowing him, he might even welcome the challenge. Our boss is a little eccentric," Revenant explained.

Death chuckled and shook his head. "And what's to stop me from simply killing you and the other brats here in one fell swoop, and then going after your boss?"

"Nothing really," Revenant replied. "You can choose to continue on with this charade of fear and cruelty, or you can spare us and try your luck at taking on an opponent who's a little more in your league. You have all the power here, really."

"…" Death was silent for a few moments. Then he sighed. "Baku, heel." Death's Persona let out a blood-thirsty growl before disappearing and releasing Takuya from its grasp. "You're lucky Death is sometimes merciful, gunslinger. As for you, girl," Death turned his attention back to Ayuka.

"…" Ayuka cowered in fear.

Death chuckled. "I hope to see you again, real soon. Same to your boyfriend over there," Death motioned to Takuya.

"If you're going to leave, then do so now," said Revenant.

Death chuckled. "You're no fun, gunslinger." Death retreated into the darkness. "Till next time." Then he disappeared.

Ayuka's legs buckled under her weight and she collapsed to the ground, Takuya's scythe slipping out of her hands. "…" she began to silently cry.

Revenant crouched down to Ayuka's level. "Are you okay, little lady?"

"…" Ayuka didn't know how to respond to the mysterious cowboy.

"No need to worry, I'm one of the good guys. Ol' Revenant is always on the side of justice," Revenant assured Ayuka. "I'm glad I showed up here when I did though, no telling what that dirty outlaw would have done if I had arrived just a second later." Revenant turned his attention to a fallen Takuya and a fallen White Rabbit. "I see that outlaw ambushed my partner over there. If he got the jump on her there's no telling how strong he really is." Then Revenant scoffed. "But if he thinks he's a match for the boss, he's got another thing coming. That guy over there a friend of yours?"

"…" Ayuka silently nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna make sure they're both right as rain. You sit tight, and I'll go collect them," Revenant replied. Then he went to go and collect Takuya and the White Rabbit's bodies. A few minutes later Takuya was slumped on a wall next to Ayuka, and Revenant was tending to the White Rabbit's large stab wound.

"Is she…? Is she…?" Ayuka struggled to get the words out.

"No, don't worry about her. She's tougher than she looks. She's just unconscious at the moment. It doesn't look like any major organs were hit, so as soon as I get her back to the living world, she'll be fine," Revenant explained.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ayuka asked in confusion.

"Umm, you know what? Maybe you should just let your friend there explain all this when he comes to. Here give him this when he regains consciousness, it should give him a little energy," Revenant said as he handed Ayuka a bottle of medicine that he pulled out of his leather coat.

"Thank you," Ayuka replied as she accepted the medicine.

Revenant nodded. "You're welcome." He got up off the ground and slung the White Rabbit's unconscious body over his right shoulder. "Now stay here and no Shadows should attack you, and when your friend wakes up I'd high-tail it out of here. Limbo's no place for hombres without Personas to roam. I'd stay and keep you company but I have to help out my partner here first."

"That's okay, we'll be fine. I'll protect him with my last breath," Ayuka replied.

Revenant nodded in understanding and then he carried off White Rabbit into the shadows. "Happy trails, little lady. Happy trails."

Ayuka looked to Takuya. "Takuya…I'm so sorry. I was no help at all, was I?" Ayuka grabbed ahold of Takuya's hand. "You must have carried me all the way here, while dealing with that Shadow thing of yours. You're so brave. I wish I could be brave like you," she whispered. "The sad truth is; you aren't the only one who's been running away from their problems. I'm still running away from mine even now." She smiled. "You remind me so much of my brother, when he was trying his hardest he would also exhaust himself like this." Ayuka began to tear up again. "Benzo, I miss you so much."

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Meanwhile, deeper in Limbo. Ryuta Yanasai was beginning to come to his senses. A dark, empty, black void surrounded him. "What the…?" Ryuta looked around him. "Where…? Where am I?" It appeared that Ryuta did not recall what happened to him. "I don't understand. One minute I'm on the dorm's rooftop and the next…" Ryuta looked around again. "…I'm nowhere. Seriously, what is this place?" And then all of a sudden someone appeared in front of Ryuta. It was a boy who was slightly shorter than him, and had black hair that was neatly brushed to the right side of his face and a pair of dull, empty golden eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the two top buttons undone, emerald green pants, and a pair of black socks which appeared to make up part of a school uniform. The boy was sporting bruises on his jaw and forehead which appeared to be from a recent scuffle, and there was blood splatter on his right cheek and on certain spots on his clothing. And most disturbing of all, he was holding a large kitchen knife that was caked in fresh blood tightly in his right hand.

Ryuta's eyes widened in horror. "No way! This can't be happening!"

"Don't act so surprised. You should know where you are," the younger boy said to him. Suddenly the darkness began to fade, and the location became much clearer. Ryuta and the boy were inside a house that appeared to have been recently ransacked.

"No! No! Not again!" Ryuta shouted as he recognized his surroundings.

"Yes again. This is your defining moment after all. You've replayed that night in your mind over and over again, every day for the past two years. You always wonder if you could've done something differently, maybe if you had found a less bloody way to stop that guy, maybe if you didn't let your rage get the best of you, maybe things would be different now. Those kind of thoughts always plague your mind. You killed him, there's no escaping that. You took a life; you have to live with that," the younger boy explained.

"I didn't have a choice! I didn't want to kill him, but I had to! He was going to hurt Natsu! He would've killed her and me if I didn't kill him first!" Ryuta shouted.

"If you really felt that way, this night wouldn't be haunting you so relentlessly. This night, this horrible, bloody night changed your life forever. It changed the way you viewed life, it changed the way you viewed yourself, and it changed the way other people viewed you as well," the younger boy replied.

Ryuta had been hearing the whispers behind his back ever since that horrible night when the police were first called.

" _Sir, what should we do about the boy? He's admitted to killing the suspect, but he claims that he was just trying to defend his sister. The evidence at the scene supports his statement, but…_ " " _It was still a gruesome killing. A deep slash to the throat, instantly fatal. If these were normal circumstances there would be no question of innocence or guilt, but the victim in this case is a disgruntled former employee of the boy's father. He broke into their house and threatened the boy and his younger sister with violence._ " " _So what do you think we should do?_ " " _Hmm, talk to the boys' parents about therapeutic treatments. It may just be a one-time lapse, but if another hostile situation like this arises the boy could get into even more trouble. His name's Ryuta Yanasai, right? From here on out, it would be best to keep a close eye on him._ " " _Yes sir, right away sir._ "

Word spread around his neighborhood quickly, and people he and his family knew began to shun them.

" _Did you hear what happened to the Yanasais?_ " " _I know, it's awful, isn't it? I don't even know how they'll be able to live in that house anymore._ " " _I can't imagine what their poor daughter must be going through. From what I heard that man was trying to…oh it's just too horrible to even think about._ " " _And then what she saw after that. Did you know her older brother ended up slashing that man's throat?_ " " _No, I didn't hear that! Are you saying that they're still letting him live with them? Hasn't their poor daughter been through enough? Each time she looks at him, she's probably be reminded of that horrible night._ " " _And just the anger that boy must have had inside of him to do that. If I were his parents, I wouldn't even think twice about sending him away to a psychiatric hospital. There could be something really wrong with him._ " " _You know, my son is actually in the same class as him at school. Maybe I should ask the school board if there's any way to get him transferred to another class. Just to be on the safe side._ "

Even his friends at school began to give him the cold shoulder.

" _Did you hear? Yanasai killed a guy!_ " " _For real?!_ " " _No way, you've got to be making that up, Ryuta wouldn't harm a fly._ " " _No, it's true, I swear. Apparently it was a home invasion gone wrong, and Yanasai ended up brutally slashing the guy's throat._ " " _Geez, guess you can't judge a book by its cover._ " " _Do you think we should still ask him to hang out with us this weekend?_ " " _I don't know, if what you say is true he clearly has a nasty temper. And people might stare at us if we act so casually around him._ " " _Seriously? That's really heartless, you guys._ " " _Are you saying you wouldn't feel awkward hanging out with him after learning about all of this?_ " " _W-Well, I guess it would feel a little weird but…he's still Ryuta…right?_ "

It got to be too much on Ryuta, until finally he decided the only way he could truly move past this was by moving away. He didn't want to leave his family behind, but he felt he had no choice. He didn't want to drag them down into his misery as well.

" _What?! He's leaving?! Why?! I don't want him to go! I don't want Onii-chan to go anywhere!_ " " _Natsu, we've talked it over with your brother and he seems to think that it's for the best. You have to understand; these past two years have been really rough for him. We were against it at first too, but we've realized that we can't force him to stay in a place where people treat him so horribly._ " " _Your mother's right, we almost lost you two because of that horrible night. I don't want you or Ryuta to feel like you have to endure anymore suffering over it. You can't pretend that things haven't been different for you either, Natsu._ " " _It's not Onii-chan's fault! He's not a murderer! He's not! He protected me! He saved my life! And I'll punch anyone who says otherwise! Onii-chan is not going anywhere!_ "

His little sister, Natsu, the one person in his life he felt would always be by his side. Unfortunately, he felt that for her own good he had to push her away.

" _Onii-chan, please don't do this! I don't want you to go! You said you'd always be there for me, that you'd never leave my side! What do you think you're doing now?! Don't go, please!_ " " _…_ " " _Onii-chan, say something!_ " " _…_ " " _Onii-chan!_ " " _I'm sorry, Natsu. I have to do this, it's for your own good._ " " _Onii-chan, you idiot! How does you leaving me alone do me any good?! You're the worst! I…I hate you, Onii-chan! If you want to leave so badly then just go! Never talk to me again!_ " " _Natsu!_ " " _…_ " " _Natsu, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._ "

"Stop it!" Ryuta shouted. "Shut up! Just shut up! I hate this! I hate it!"

"Why wouldn't you? It's a horrible feeling. Being treated like a monster because of one incident. That one moment defined your whole life from then on. Even if people knew the whole story behind it. Even if they sympathized with your situation. They all still looked at you differently from then on out. There was nothing but fear in their eyes. Stupid, illogical fear. Those stares cut deeper than any knife ever could," the younger boy explained. "But they never realized that. They never realized what their fear did to you. The stares you would feel on your body when they thought you weren't looking, the whispers they spread behind your back, the cold shoulder that they would give you without even so much as a second thought. It hurt, it hurt so fucking much."

"I'm not a monster. I'm not," Ryuta said to himself.

"I wish I could have said that too. But look at me, covered in blood. A murder weapon in one hand. Maybe they're all right, maybe I am a monster. Maybe "we" are a monster, Ryuta," said the younger bo…no, said Shadow Ryuta.

"…" Ryuta didn't know how to respond.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Shinichi reached the outside of the arts and clubs building. "I can sense Takuya in here. His aura's gotten really weak though. Dammit, I hope I'm not too late." Shinichi ran to the entrance, but before he could go inside someone caught his attention.

"He can't give you the answers you want. Deep down you know that."

"…" Shinichi's eyes widened. Then he turned around to greet the person behind him.

"You again?! What do you want now?!" Shinichi shouted.

"For you to finally admit that this is just a waste of time. What makes you even think that Takuya is the key to unlocking your memories?"

"It's just a feeling I have. He's important, I just know it," Shinichi replied.

"A feeling, eh? Are you sure it wasn't just those pretty words that the guy from last night said to you?"

Shinichi's eyes widened. "H-How do you know about that?"

The mysterious individual sighed. "You still haven't figured it out yet have you? Well I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. After all, I'm having trouble remembering things as well. We're really just two peas in a pod, you and I."

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

A few minutes later, Takuya began to stir. He groaned in pain as he tried to move his body. Ayuka took notice of his movements. "Takuya! Takuya, wake up!" she exclaimed.

Takuya struggled to open his eyes. "…" Then when his eyes were fully open he saw Ayuka's worried expression. He lightly smiled. "Looks like the tables have turned," he whispered. He tried to move but was immediately come over with intense pain. "Ugh!"

"Easy does it, you've been through a lot," Ayuka said as she tried to comfort him.

Takuya looked around the hallway. "Where did that psycho go to?"

"Oh well, this guy who was dressed up as a cowboy appeared out of nowhere and convinced him to go away," Ayuka replied. Then she sweatdropped. "Wow, now that I say it out loud it kind of sounds ridiculous."

Takuya shook his head. "After everything I've been through today, I'll believe anything. By the way, did you see another girl who was dressed up like a rabbit? She was hurt really badly by that guy."

Ayuka nodded. "The guy in the cowboy hat said he was her partner. He collected her and said that he would make sure she was treated immediately." Then Ayuka pulled out the medicine that Revenant gave her. "Here, he gave me this to give to you when you woke up. He said it would make you feel a little better." Then she handed Takuya the medicine and he graciously took it.

Then a few more minutes later, the pain in Takuya's body was beginning to fade. "Wow, that stuff really works. I feel much better already." Then he tried standing up, and to his amazement he felt no pain. "Alright, now that I'm back at one-hundred percent we should probably get going."

Ayuka sighed in relief. "Finally, this whole experience has been both physically and emotionally exhausting." Ayuka stood back up on her feet as well. "And remember, you have to fill me in on everything when we're safe and sound."

Takuya collected his scythe and sighed in reply. "To be honest I was kind of hoping you'd stay unconscious the whole time we were here and then just think it was all a bad dream. Shinichi's not gonna like this, getting you dragged into all this without a single say in the matter."

"Shinichi? Who's that?" Ayuka asked.

"Another friend of mine, odds are you'll run into him eventually. Don't know if you'll be able to see him though," Takuya replied.

"Why is that?" Ayuka replied.

"I'll explain later, for now my Shadow's been beaten so we should get out of here while we can. Come on, I bet we can get out through the main entrance," Takuya replied.

"Even in this creepy version of the arts and clubs building?" Ayuka asked.

"We'll never know until we try," Takuya replied. He motioned for Ayuka to go ahead of him. "Ladies first?"

"Nice try," Ayuka grabbed ahold of Takuya's arm. "We're walking side by side, thank you very much."

Takuya sighed. "Suit yourself." Then he chuckled. "I'm getting an odd sense of déjà vu." Then Takuya and Ayuka walked to the main entrance of the arts and club building. "Here we are. Now brace yourself, there's no telling what lies beyond this door."

Ayuka sighed. "I think after all the weirdness I've experienced today, not much else will surprise me." Takuya nodded and then pushed the double doors open and the two teenagers were met with the strange sight of Limbo's basic landscape.

* * *

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE FOR A WHILE AFTER THIS.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE THE GAME NOW?

* * *

YES

NO

* * *

Yes.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

The sky was a dark gray, and the sun was only a slightly brighter gray so it was really hard to make out. The sun was also in the western part of the sky, a direct opposite to its true eastern position in the living world. The buildings around the campus were now pure white in color, and the grass that blanketed the campus was now a light black. There was no one on the campus at all. Ayuka stepped out of the arts and clubs building with her mouth agape. "Okay, scratch that. This is pretty weird too. Did you know that this place…? Umm, what did you call it before? Limbo?" Takuya nodded in reply. "Did you know that Limbo looked like this?"

Takuya shook his head. "No this is just as weird to me as it is to you." And then Takuya caught a glimpse of a familiar figure who was a few meters away from the building. A boy with a baggy overcoat and sandy brown hair. "Hey, Shinichi!" Takuya called out to his ghost friend and then ran over to greet him.

"That's Shinichi?" Ayuka asked herself before running off to catch up to Takuya.

"Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed when he got closer to the ghost boy.

Shinichi turned around to face him and was a bit surprised by Takuya's unique appearance. "T-Takuya?" Then he saw Ayuka. "And who are you?" Shinichi sensed a different presence from Ayuka. "Wait, you're a mortal." Then he turned back to Takuya. "Takuya, what is someone like her doing here?"

"It's sort of a long story," Takuya replied. "I'll explain later. But first tell me what you're doing here?"

"Why don't I explain?" someone else asked. That's when Takuya took notice of another person standing behind Shinichi, and that person in question made him do a double take. It was another Shinichi.

Ayuka took notice of the other Shinichi too. "Whoa, are you guys twins are something?" And then she noticed the golden eyes that the other Shinichi had. "Oh no, Takuya is that another…?"

Takuya nodded. "Shadow," he replied.

Shinichi seemed surprised by the two teenager's sudden connection. "Sh-Shadow?" Then he turned back to face his Shadow.

Shinichi's Shadow looked almost exactly like him; he was even wearing the same messy and baggy clothes. The only difference was that Shinichi's Shadow was almost completely transparent. Shadow Shinichi nodded in reply. "I'm glad someone finally realized. This guy's been clueless since the very beginning."

"So you're a Shadow?" Shinichi asked. And then all of a sudden he began to feel an intense pain from within his head. "Arrrrrrrrraaaaaaagggghhhhhhh!" It hurt so much that he ended up collapsing to the ground on his knees. He grabbed his head and rubbed his temples furiously in order to ease the pain.

"Shinichi!" Takuya and Ayuka ran closer to him and Takuya crept down beside him. "Are you okay?" Takuya asked out of concern.

"I-It hurts. It hurts so much," Shinichi said through gritted teeth.

"What are you doing to him?!" Ayuka shouted at Shadow Shinichi.

"Me? I'm not doing anything. I'm not like the other Shadows that roam in Limbo. I don't cause chaos for the sake of chaos, I don't care about becoming whole by devouring my vessel's spirit." Shadow Shinichi looked at Takuya. "Your's for instance, all it cared about was killing you and claiming your spirit as its own, correct? To be honest that's what most Shadows want. We're the ugly sides of each and every thing, all we want is to be whole. But like I said, I'm different," Shadow Shinichi replied.

"If it's not you doing this to him, then what's causing it?" Takuya asked Shadow Shinichi.

Shadow Shinichi sighed. "I don't know," he simply replied. Shadow Shinichi looked up to the dark gray sky. "I was born three months ago. At least, that's as far back as I can remember. It's the same with him."

"W-What do you mean?" Ayuka asked.

"Don't you know? He's a spirit, all that remains of a person who died…apparently three months ago, as that's when he was born," Shadow Shinichi replied.

"He's a gh-gh-ghost?!" Ayuka exclaimed in surprise.

Shadow Shinichi nodded. "And since his rebirth, all he's been able to remember about who he once was is a single name. Shinichi. That's his name, or at least he thinks it is. He doesn't know for sure. He isn't sure about anything. He can't remember anything at all. He's a ghost in both the figurative and the literal sense. And what's even more unsettling, is that anytime he tries to remember something else, he gets like that," Shadow Shinichi explained.

"So this pain, is keeping…me from remembering who I…am?" Shinichi replied.

"That would be my best guess. Although, I can't say for sure. I was born three months ago too, ergo I know about as much as you do." Shadow Shinichi turned back to look at Shinichi. "But of course, you remember what I told you the first day we were born into this world, don't you?"

"You two have met before?" Takuya asked.

"A few times here and there, but the most prominent encounter was our very first. The moment we were both born into this world which we have grown to call Limbo. We were standing face to face, almost like a mirror. He didn't know what to make of it, I tried to explain what I was to him though. Then he suddenly realized he couldn't remember who he was. He couldn't remember a thing at all. I am him, after all. So I picked up on it, and I realized too that I couldn't remember anything about who I was either. Shinichi. Just a single name. That's all," Shadow Shinichi replied. "So as you can imagine, I didn't see a need to truly free myself. What would be the point? If I take control of his soul I'll still be just as lost, just as empty, just as lonely. The memories of our past are completely out of reach, it wouldn't make any difference if I was the one in control. So I came to a realization. We're not supposed to remember."

"Wh-What?" Shinichi huffed out.

"Think about it. If we were truly meant to remember our life before death, it would've happened by now. But instead, we've been wandering around Limbo aimlessly for three months now, lost, afraid, and alone," Shadow Shinichi replied. "Takuya, you were the first person who could even see us. And even you don't have the answers we seek. As much as he wishes you do, as much as he hopes you do, you're just as lost as us." Shadow Shinichi scoffed. "It's all so pointless."

"That's not true!" Shinichi shouted as he tried to ignore his pain. "I will remember who I am! I'm already starting to remember bits and pieces! Shadows! Personas! Grim Reapers! I know the answers are in there somewhere!"

Shadow Shinichi shook his head. "Meaningless words. They're just pieces to a puzzle which you're already missing quite a few pieces of. It's the same thing with that other name. Sumire. Tell me, what does it mean? Who or what is Sumire?"

"…" Shinichi couldn't answer.

"You see? It's a meaningless effort. If we were meant to remember, it would've already happened by now. The sad truth is that it's not going to happen. We're meant to wander Limbo lost and alone. That's our lot in our afterlife. Memories are meaningless. Our past is meaningless. We are Shinichi the ghost. Nothing more, nothing less," Shadow Shinichi replied.

"No, that's not true! I refuse to accept that!" Shinichi shouted. Unfortunately, he shouted so loud that he irritated his already splitting headache and he twitched in agonizing pain.

"Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed in concern for his friend.

"You still choose to deny this simple truth? Why? What purpose do you suppose this agonizing pain holds then? The pain is meant to be a warning. You are not supposed to remember. I have already accepted this as absolute fact, so why can't you? Our memories are pain. So why don't we just spare ourselves that overwhelming pain and simply give in to the hopelessness? We are meant to be empty, we are meant to be lost, we are meant to be alone," Shadow Shinichi explained.

Shinichi panted and gritted his teeth. "No, I won't accept it! I want to remember! I don't want to be lost anymore! I want to know who I really am!" Shinichi began to tear up. "I don't care what you say! I won't accept it! I'm meant to be this way forever?! I refuse to see that as the truth! And if you don't agree with me then that just means…!"

"No Shinichi, don't say it! It's a trick!" Takuya exclaimed.

But Takuya's warning fell on deaf ears. "You're not me!" Shinichi shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shadow Shinichi simply shook his head and sighed. A dark aura began to surround him which continued to grow in size with each passing second. "It appears you won't accept this simple truth unless I make it abundantly clear for you. Very well then, allow me to show you the error in your ways." Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Shinichi whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Berserk Shadow Shinichi was a large blue specter, that had his legs replaced by a tail. His face had taken on the shape of a cartoonish skull, with dark green googly eyes that darted back and forth in all directions. He also carried a large chain nunchaku which had a pair of tombstones for its handles. One of the tombstones was marked with the word 希望 (kibou) which translated as hope, and 絶望 (zetsubou) which translated as despair. There were also several large blue flaming wisps that circled around Berserk Shadow Shinichi. "I am a Shadow, the true self!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed in a cackling voice.

"Oh no! Not again!" Ayuka exclaimed.

"Now then, it's time to drag you down into cold, hard reality my weak-minded vessel!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed as he brandished his tombstone nunchaku menacingly.

"Wh-What is this?!" Shinichi exclaimed in a terrified tone.

Takuya got up off the ground and brandished his scythe menacingly. "Your Shadow's true form. And if it's the same as mine, then we've got a hell of a fight ahead of us. You and Ayuka better stand back. This is going to get ugly."

* * *

A/N: Though Death has retreated for now, surely he will become a threat again at some point in the near future. And now it appears that another member of the mysterious group of Persona users has revealed himself. And what of this new development with the young spirit known as Shinichi? So many questions, so little answers. Only time will tell what this all means.


	16. Chapter XIII

A/N: The young spirit known as Shinichi has come face to face with his inner doubt and emptiness. All hope and despair has been sucked out of this lifeless shell, replacing it only with nothing. Dark, empty nothing. Will our young hero be able to save his newfound companion from the darkness that surrounds him? Let us see, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XIII: Phantasm, the Reaper of Doubt**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Shadow Shinichi simply shook his head and sighed. A dark aura began to surround him which continued to grow in size with each passing second. "It appears you won't accept this simple truth unless I make it abundantly clear for you. Very well then, allow me to show you the error in your ways." Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Shinichi whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Berserk Shadow Shinichi was a large blue specter, that had his legs replaced by a tail. His face had taken on the shape of a cartoonish skull, with dark green googly eyes that darted back and forth in all directions. He also carried a large chain nunchaku which had a pair of tombstones for its handles. One of the tombstones was marked with the word 希望 (kibou) which translated as hope, and the other was marked with the word 絶望 (zetsubou) which translated as despair. There were also several large blue flaming wisps that circled around Berserk Shadow Shinichi. "I am a Shadow, the true self!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed in a cackling voice.

"Oh no! Not again!" Ayuka exclaimed.

"Now then, it's time to drag you down into cold, hard reality my weak-minded vessel!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed as he brandished his tombstone nunchaku menacingly.

"Wh-What is this?!" Shinichi exclaimed in a terrified tone.

Takuya got up off the ground and brandished his scythe menacingly. "Your Shadow's true form. And if it's the same as mine, then we've got a hell of a fight ahead of us. You and Ayuka better stand back. This is going to get ugly."

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled. "You foolish boy, why do you wish to interfere in this private matter between me and my other half?!"

"Shinichi's my friend, so if you have a beef with him then you have a beef with me!" Takuya shouted.

"Friendship?! How foolish! Before yesterday you had never even so much as laid eyes on one another! And today was the first time that you two had seen eye to eye on things! Calling yourself friends, it's a serious over embellishment!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed. Then he cackled again. "Besides, how can you be friends with someone who's still keeping things from you?!"

"…" Shinichi's eyes widened and he looked away.

Takuya was confused. "K-Keeping things from me?" Then he looked back to Shinichi. "Shinichi, what is he talking about?"

"Go on tell him, tell him all about the conversation we had with that mysterious stranger last night!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed.

"Mysterious stranger?" Takuya repeated in confusion. "What mysterious stranger?"

Shinichi grunted and then sighed in defeat. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out of his coat pocket and showed it to Takuya. The object in question was a photo, and not just any photo, a photo of Takuya. He appeared to be looking away from the camera, so the photo must have been taken without his knowledge, but from the looks of the person standing next to him in the photo, Masahisa Oikawa, it was taken in Tokyo. Which meant that it must have been taken sometime yesterday.

"What the heck…?" Takuya muttered in confusion. "Were you following me and Oikawa?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Someone else was though." Shinichi sighed again. "It all happened a little while after I first met you." Shinichi began to explain his side of the situation.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _It appeared to be in the late evening. Shinichi was tucked away into a small alley in the city. He was sitting on a small backdoor step for a nearby shop. His eyes were stained red, and tear stains littered his coat. He appeared to have been crying for quite some time. "It was my fault. It was all my fault," he muttered to himself. "If I hadn't have just run out on that guy when I did, he wouldn't have gone chasing after me, and then his friend wouldn't have…wouldn't have…" He clenched his fist tightly. "Dammit. I didn't mean for all of that to happen. But why didn't I even try to help them?" he asked himself. "Why? Why can I never save anyone? Is it really just like "he" said? Is it meaningless to even try to save the people in the omens? If it really is then why are they always begging and pleading for someone to help them? I always hear their cries for help, but I can never get to them in time. Being able to foresee death but not being able to do anything about it. It's like the worst kind of hell imaginable. And now on top of that, I'm guilty for a death that may occur." Shinichi was beginning to tear up again. "I hate this! I hate this feeling of hopelessness! I just want to go home! I just want to go home!" Then he shook his head. "Idiot, you're forgetting again. You don't have a home to go home to. You're stuck here, and you'll never know why."_

" _Aww, what do we have here? A lost little lamb, shedding tear after tear?" An unknown individual suddenly appeared, making Shinichi jump with surprise. Shinichi looked up and saw that the person in question was a boy who was slightly taller than him and who appeared to be a bit older than him as well. He had tan skin, dazzling blue eyes, and long flowing white hair that draped down to his upper back. He wore a black bomber jacket with a white fuzz outline over a simple golden-yellow T-shirt, and he also wore a pair of black skinny jeans, a pair of black socks, and a pair of white and black tennis shoes. The boy wore a gentle smile on his face and had a mysterious, calming aura about him. From the moment Shinichi first saw him, he couldn't help but feel at peace. The boy smiled at Shinichi. "It's okay, little lamb, no need to worry." He produced a blue handkerchief from his jacket pocket and handed it to Shinichi. "I'm here now to hear your problems, so please don't feel like you have to leave in a hurry."_

 _Shinichi's eyes widened in surprised. 'He can…? He can see me too?' he asked himself. Today for the first time ever someone could finally see Shinichi, and now it appeared that he had met yet another person who could do the same._

 _The boy waved the handkerchief in Shinichi's face, motioning for him to take it. "I do apologize if I gave you a nasty fright. But trust me, I promise I won't bite."_

 _A little confused, Shinichi hesitated before accepting the handkerchief from the boy and blowing his nose in it. When he calmed down a little bit he handed the handkerchief back to the boy and then started asking questions. "So it looks like you have no problem seeing me. Who are you?"_

 _The boy shook his head. "My identity matters not, so don't let it concern you. And if you must know, I can see ghosts, this is indeed true."_

" _So you know I'm a ghost too then? Okay, another question then. Why are you speaking in rhymes?" Shinichi asked._

 _The boy chuckled. "I fancy myself a bit of a poet, writing poetry is actually a hobby of mine. I write all kinds of poems, but the ones I like the most are the ones that rhyme. It's a bad habit of mine to rhyme, so please pay it no mind. If you would be so kind." Then he smiled at Shinichi again. "So tell me, little lamb, what's troubling you so? Please, let your true feelings show."_

"…" _Shinichi was silent at first but then he sighed. "The truth is; I don't really know. I already know I'm not like other ghosts, I mean you've seen them before, right? You know what I'm talking about. I don't know the whole reason behind that, and to make matter worse I don't really know anything about myself either."_

 _The boy looked perplexed. "Sorry to pry. But I must ask, what are you trying to imply?"_

" _I…I don't remember anything at all. I have no memories at all of who I was before I died," Shinichi replied. "All I remember is my name. Or at least I think it's my name. Shinichi, that's the only memory I have."_

" _Shinichi, such a charming name. However, I can understand your problems now, it must be troubling to not know anything about from whence you came," the boy replied with a gentle smile. He paused for a second and then he began to hum to himself as he stroked his chin. He appeared to be thinking about something. Then after a few moments of thought he nodded. "Very well, I have decided to help ease your woes. So simply sit back and listen to my elegant prose." He smiled and then he began to recite a haiku:_

 _The answers you seek,_

 _the boy who can see clearly,_

 _he holds them and more._

 _The boy produced a photo from his jacket and then handed it to Shinichi. The photo was of Takuya and Oikawa. "I believe you already know these two young men. No lying now, for in circumstances like these that would be a sin." The boy pointed out Takuya in the photo. "This one holds the key to finding your lost memories, of this I am certain. So I guess the only question now is, do you have what it takes to peek behind the curtain?" he asked in a playful tone._

 _Shinichi was really confused. "How do you know about this guy? Are you a friend of his?"_

 _The boy smiled coyly. "Let's just say, he'll become an acquaintance of mine in due time. Until then I'll just be watching from the shadows and practicing my rhyme."_

" _Seriously, who are you?" Shinichi asked._

 _The boy continued to smile coyly. "Just an observer of the story that is about to unfold. Of course it's your decision whether or not you choose to listen to the things I have told. Now run along little lamb, for you have a big part to play in this story as well. What will you choose to do, only time will tell?" He chuckled in delight. "Now then, I must take my leave, sorry to say goodbye so soon." The boy began to walk away, and he waved back at Shinichi as he did so. "Until we meet again, sayonara Shinichi-kun."_

* * *

"I was hesitant at first. I mean, the guy showed up out of nowhere and started saying all these strange things, so how could I not be? But I don't know, deep down I had this unexplainable feeling that what he was saying was the truth. I had to know for sure. And seeing you now, I think it's safe to say that my hopes weren't in vain. You are the key to me regaining my memories, I'm sure of it!" Shinichi exclaimed in glee.

However, to Shinichi's surprise his glee was not reciprocated. Takuya simply glared at him in contempt. "So everything you said to me, all of it, was it all a lie? Feeling sorry what happened to Oikawa? Wanting to help the people in the omens? Everything was just a big lie?!" Takuya shouted.

Shinichi's eyes widened. "N-No that's not true, I do care about all that I swear. It's just…" Shinichi found himself at a loss for words.

"Your memories are all you really care about, aren't they?" Takuya replied. "Anything else is just meaningless."

Shinichi shook his head. "No, that's not true," Shinichi repeated. "I do care! I want to help the people in the omens! I want to save them! But…!" Shinichi looked down at the ground. "You don't know what it's like to feel this way. To not know who you are at all. Losing your very identity. In this lonely world, it may just be the worst kind of hell imaginable. Because even in this darkness, even in this utter despair, I don't even have peaceful memories to look back on." Shinichi began to tear up. "I don't have anybody. And I don't have anything either. I…I don't know what I should do. I'm completely lost." Shinichi fell down to the ground again and he began to sob profusely. Ayuka did her best to comfort him.

Takuya's facial features softened as he began to get a glimpse at the world through Shinichi's eyes. "Shinichi," he said in a sad tone.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled. "Now you see the utter hopelessness of your efforts to regain your memories! Even your brave ally has abandoned you! You are once again alone! As it should be! Do you understand now "me"?! It is hopeless to rely on the past for comfort and solace! Each time you remember, you only feel pain! It is a warning! A warning to avoid even more unnecessary pain! You are not meant to remember your past! Your past is nothing but pain and sorrow! You are meant to wander this lonely world for eternity! You are meant to remain lost forevermore!"

"Oh God dammit, will you shut the hell up already?!" Takuya suddenly shouted at Berserk Shadow Shinichi. Takuya turned back to face Berserk Shadow Shinichi.

"What's this?!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed.

"T-Takuya?" Shinichi muttered through his tears.

"Listen up and listen good, I never once said I was abandoning Shinichi! He may be an idiot, and he may be somewhat selfish, but I understand why he felt he needed to do what he did! He's been putting on a brave face all this time because he was afraid to admit that you might be right, maybe he never will remember his past! But who cares if he doesn't remember! He won't be lost or alone anymore, I'll see to that! Shinichi is my friend, and nothing you say will ever change that!" Takuya shouted.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled. "Your friend deceived you of his true motives in seeking you out! He's nothing but a liar and a trickster! He deserves to be alone! He doesn't deserve to remember his past!"

"You're wrong, no one deserves to be left all alone! I can speak from experience when I say, that is utter hell! So I accept Shinichi faults and all! He's my friend, and that's not going to change! Got that!" Takuya shouted.

Shinichi's tears began to dry, and a small smile spread across his face. 'Takuya. He really means it doesn't he?'

"I lost one friend because I wouldn't stand up for him and help him fight his battles! I'm not going to make the same mistake again! I'll prove to you that Shinichi is worth fighting for!" Takuya shouted as he brandished his scythe.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi growled in anger. "Very well then! Show me the faith you place in him and I will smash it to pieces!"

Takuya smirked and replied, "With pleasure!" Takuya raised up his left arm and his tattoo shined brightly. "Come forth, Zenbyou!" Takuya exclaimed as he summoned his Shinigami Persona. Zenbyou appeared behind Takuya and began to cackle mischievously.

"W-What is that thing?" Shinichi asked in confusion at the sight before him.

"It's something called a Persona," Ayuka replied. "I don't really understand it either, but when Takuya summons it he gets really strong."

"So that's a Persona?" Shinichi asked himself.

"Let's go, Zenbyou! Time to teach this Shadow a lesson! **Garu!** " Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at Berserk Shadow Shinichi.

Berserk shadow Shinichi cackled and then exclaimed, "I don't think so! **Tombstone Typhoon!** " Berserk Shadow Shinichi began to spin his odd nunchaku extremely fast and the momentum of the nunchaku began to create a powerful gust of wind which cut through Zenbyou's attack. Takuya and Zenbyou braced themselves as they were assaulted by the harsh gust of wind. Then a few moments later, Shinichi and Ayuka also had to brace themselves from the aftermath of the attack.

When the wind died down, Takuya glared at Berserk Shadow Shinichi. 'Damn, looks like wind attacks are out. Okay then, looks we'll have to settle this up close and personal,' he thought to himself as he formulated a plan. Takuya rushed towards Berserk Shadow Shinichi as he swung back his scythe, while Zenbyou follow behind him, doing the same thing with his own scythe. "Hyaaaaaaaaa!" Takuya shouted as he prepared to sink his blade in Berserk Shadow Shinichi. And to his amazement, Berserk Shadow Shinichi didn't even try to dodge his blade. Takuya was confused until he saw his blade, and Zenbyou's blade pass right through Berserk Shadow Shinichi's body. 'What the…?!' Takuya inwardly exclaimed.

"Gotcha! **Dying Hope!** " Berserk Shadow Shinichi took advantage of Takuya's confusion to launch a surprise attack on Takuya. The tombstone engraved with the kanji for hope began to glow a bright golden-yellow, and Berserk Shadow Shinichi swung back the tombstone and then used it to swat back Takuya as hard as he could, making Zenbyou disappear in the process.

Takuya felt the full impact of the tombstone and was knocked back hard onto the ground. He struggled with getting back up onto his feet. "What's going on? My attack went right through him."

"He's too strong!" Shinichi exclaimed.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled again. "It is meaningless to try and fight me! Just as it meaningless to try and defend "me"! I told you, I am not an ordinary Shadow! I know I am incomplete! I revel in that fact! Existence is pain! Hope is pain! Despair is pain! Everything is pain! I have acknowledged that I shall be in pain for all eternity! And by continuing to fight with "me", you are simply delaying the inevitable! If possible, I don't want you to have to experience my pain as well! Admit defeat, and you shall be spared eternal suffering!"

Takuya scoffed. "I don't care how tough you say you are, you're going down. I'm not going to stop until I prove you wrong!" Takuya exclaimed as he prepared to attack again. However, this once again proved to be a meaningless effort, as his attack went right through Berserk Shadow Shinichi's body yet again. Still, Takuya tried and tried again to land a single blow against him, switching up between his physical attack and his Persona's skills. However, each and every time, Berserk Shadow Shinichi either countered Takuya's attacks with his tombstone nunchaku or Takuya's attacks ended up going right through his body. In mere minutes, Takuya seemed to be really exhausted. He began to pant heavily. "Dammit…why can't I…hit him?" Takuya asked rhetorically.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled again. "Struggle all you wish; it will not change the outcome of this battle! Unless you cease this foolish pursuit of yours, you will die where you stand! Let his downfall be a lesson to you "me"! Hope is meaningless! You will never regain your memories, you will never be whole again, you will always be alone! It is a pity, but it is the truth! Just as it is the truth that your friend cannot win against me! To have hope in any other outcome is foolish!"

Shinichi went silent. 'What if he's right? What if it really is all hopeless? Maybe I never will find out who I really am. Maybe I'll always be like this.' Shinichi began to doubt himself and trust in his Shadow's words. But someone brought him back to his senses.

"Screw that!" Takuya shouted. "Shinichi, don't buy into…any of that crap! No matter how hopeless…a situation looks, no matter how much…pain it may cause you, you can't…just give up! You're stronger than that, I know…you are! If regaining your memories means…that much to you, then I…promise, I won't stop until…I help you get them back! But even if that doesn't ever happen…you can't give up! You have to…have hope that things will…get better! Hope is what drives…us to fight for what we believe in! It's when we give up…hope that we truly become lost! So fight, dammit! Fight…until your very last breath!"

"Takuya," Ayuka simply said.

"…" Shinichi was silent for a second. Then he smirked. "Takuya, thank you. You're right, all this time, I've just been feeling sorry for myself. Limbo is a lonely place, that's for sure. I thought that if I could remember who I once was, then I could at least reflect on my life and think of the people who I cared about so I wouldn't feel so lonely anymore. Not knowing who you are, where you came from, or anything about you really, it can be a real pain. But if I really want to remember than I shouldn't just admit that it's hopeless, I should be trying even harder to remember." Shinichi's eyes began to change color, from sea-foam green to blood red. "And even if I never remember, I realize now that I won't be alone. You'll have my back no matter what, so it only makes sense that I have yours as well. Takuya, let's do it. You and me, together we'll change this world for the better. We'll save everyone whose life in danger. I have hope. I know we can do it." Shinichi looked to his Shadow. "I'll show you, I'll show you just how hopeless our mission really is!" Then a glowing green aura began to surround Shinichi, which grew in size and intensity with each passing moment.

"Oh no, not this insanity again," Ayuka said in fear as she backed away from Shinichi.

"That a boy, Shinichi! Show him your true power!" Takuya shouted with all his might.

"What's this?! It can't be! How can you still have this much power?!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed.

"Because unlike you, I'm not alone! I have a pretty sweet partner by my side, and together we're going to take you down!" Shinichi shouted.

And then a playful voice whispered in Shinichi's ear. " _At last we meet young child of man. I've been wondering when thou wouldst call upon my power, it's not really nice to keep people waiting for so long. Anyway, let us begin the contract. Thou wishes to realize thy true potential and gain newfound power in order to accomplish thy goals. I can grant thy wish if thou art willing to pay a special price. Since thy life has already been made forfeit, I shall except nothing less than thine immortal soul. Don't worry, it's not a permanent trade, just a little loan. Lend thy soul to me and allow me to use its power to strengthen my own. Well how about it, all my power for one measly soul, and I'll even return it to thee in the end? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me._ "

"Very well! I'll do it, I'll sacrifice my soul! So give me the power to destroy the darkness that rules over this horrible world!" Shinichi shouted.

The playful voice snickered. " _Thou betcha. Now then allow me to introduce myself. Thou art I, I am thou. I am the immortal being known as Hitodama, and starting now the two of us are one. So I ask that thou please not hold me back. Use my power as thou seest fit in order to light the darkness of this world!_ " And then it appeared, Shinichi's Persona, Hitodama. A series of blue balls of flame began to appear behind Shinichi, one by one as if someone was lighting several different candles. This went on until nine balls of flame in all appeared and formed a ring. And then an even larger blue ball of flame began to appear at the center of the ring, it grew and grew until it was massive in size, and then a face began to form inside of it. A pair of haunting yellow eyes and a wicked-looking yellow grin made up Hitodama's face.

Ayuka sighed in relief. "At least it's not as creepy as Takuya's."

" _Now then, my dear boy. It's time to complete the contract. Any last words?_ " Hitodama asked Shinichi.

"Let us light up the darkness with our blazing power of hope!" Shinichi exclaimed.

Hitodama snickered. " _Very well, then until thou art ready to pass on! I shall take possession of thy soul!_ " Hitodama exclaimed. Then all of a sudden Shinichi was set ablaze by a bright, burning, blue flame. The flame stretched up into the air and consumed Shinichi whole. Hitodama's eyes began to glow. " _Through death, comes rebirth,_ " he said. Then the fire that consumed Shinichi began to calm down and it slowly reduced to cinders. Something small was revealed to be hidden inside the fire, it looked like a small black cloak of some sort. " _Now then, journey beyond the grave and take upon your new mantle, Phantasm._ " Suddenly the small black cloak began to float into the air, and then something appeared out of thin air and filled out the inside of the black cloak. It appeared to be a small ghost, only this ghost had no actual shape. It looked more cartoonish, than realistic. It was small and white, and had a cute little streaky tail. However, it also had these piercing blood red eyes, which were the signature of a Grim Reaper. The black cloak it wore had a small decal on the front of it that looked like a blue mitama symbol with piercing red eyes.

The little ghost smiled in a cocky manner. "Alright, time to kick some butt," it said in a voice befitting of a little boy.

Takuya sweatdropped. "Sh-Shinichi? Is that you?"

"Of course, who do you think it is?" the little ghost replied.

"You look different. Really different," Takuya replied.

Shinichi looked down and he noticed his current form. Then he loudly yelped in surprise. "What the hell?! Why do I look like Casper the Friendly Ghost's emo older brother?!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Umm, well the way my Persona explained it to me was that the Grim Reaper we became was mirrored by what we originally thought a Grim Reaper would like. So somewhere deep down, you must have thought a cutesy look like that was fitting for a Grim Reaper," Takuya replied in an uncertain tone. "Still to think you'd go with a matching voice for it too."

"That's a load of bull! There's no way I'd imagine this cutesy crap! This is a total gyp!" Shinichi exclaimed as he waved his tiny ghost arms about in anger. "Hey Hitodama, no fair! I want a do-over! There's no way I can fight when I look like this!"

Ayuka giggled. "Oh my God, he's adorable!" she exclaimed.

"Look on the bright side, looks like you'll get a lot of attention," Takuya replied with a chuckle.

Shinichi sighed in defeat. "This is so humiliating."

Berserk Shadow Shinichi cackled. "This is it?! This is the hope that you were going to show me?! Why I could crush you without so much as a second thought!"

Shinichi growled. "I'm still gonna beat you, even if I do look like a rejected kid's cartoon character! Takuya, you and me, let's tag team him!"

"What? Can you even fight like that?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi smirked in a cocky manner. "Fear not, I'm not going to be joining the front lines. I'm going to be your backup."

Takuya sweatdropped. "What? So how does that count as you and me tag-teaming him exactly?" he asked in confusion.

"Sorry, my Persona's not suited for direct combat so you're on your own there. But don't worry, there are a lot of things I can do to aid you in battle from the sidelines. Observe." Shinichi raised up his left arm and revealed a green glowing tattoo that was shaped like a butterfly holding a mitama. "Here comes help from beyond the grave! Rise from the ashes, Hitodama!" And then Shinichi's Persona, Hitodama, appeared behind him. "Let's go, **Fighting Spirit!** " Hitodama snickered in delight before his flames grew in size and intensity, and then suddenly a flaming blue aura began to cloak Takuya's body.

"Whoa! What's going on?!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise. And then suddenly to his amazement, he felt oddly rejuvenated. In fact, he felt even better than he did before he started fighting. "What is this power I'm feeling?"

Shinichi chuckled in delight. "Just a little pick me up, curtesy of Hitodama. Like I said, he's not suited for battle, but he's amazing at support."

"And how exactly do you know all that? You just summoned him for the first time, right?" Ayuka asked from the peanut gallery.

"Oh…umm…" Shinichi didn't quite know how to answer that question. "I don't really know, I just sort of know how to use him automatically, I guess. Same thing with his skills, they just popped into my head," Shinichi replied as he rubbed the back of his hooded head in embarrassment.

Ayuka sighed. "Yet another lackluster explanation."

"Enough foolishness!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi barked at Takuya, Shinichi, and Ayuka. "Even with your sudden transformation and power boost "me", you are still not a match for the overwhelming power of the truth! Any spirit that wanders Limbo is meant to be lost for all eternity! You are no exception! The mere fact that you are not like any other spirit, is simply an oversight! Your world is not meant to extend beyond this darkness! Your past is unnecessary! Your future is unnecessary! The sooner you accept the pain; the sooner you will learn to embrace it! Abandon hope! Abandon despair! They are unnecessary! Limbo is nothingness! We are meant to be nothingness!"

"A world with nothing in it but darkness and sorrow? No thanks, I'll pass," Shinichi replied in a cocky tone. "Life may be tough sometimes, but that's no reason to simply abandon it. Sure, I may not remember who I am today, or tomorrow, or even the day after that. But I won't stop fighting until that day comes, because I have hope in the fact that I will regain my past and gain a brighter future with my friend by my side," Shinichi said with a smile.

"You tell him, Shinichi," Takuya replied. "We'll make you see the light as well!" Takuya shouted at Berserk Shadow Shinichi.

"Arrgh! Very well, it seems you are in need of more pain to finally accept your fates!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi shouted. "Allow me to accommodate you! **Crushing Despair!** " Suddenly the tombstone with the kanji for despair began to glow an ominous dark purple, and then Berserk Shadow Shinichi raised the tombstone up in the air and began spinning it erratically. It spun faster and faster, until finally he threw it at Takuya and his party.

" **Shinigami Shroud!** " Takuya shouted as he re-summoned Zenbyou. In response to Takuya's cry, Zenbyou made a force field that was large enough to protect Takuya, Shinichi, and Ayuka. Berserk Shadow Shinichi's despair tombstone landed on top of Zenbyou's force field with a great impact that shook the ground beneath Takuya's party's feet, but luckily the force field managed to withstand the impact and get away with only a few minor cracks.

Zenbyou released the force field. "I don't think I can block another one of those attacks. Dammit, with those stupid tombstones he has amazing attack and defense power," said Takuya.

"Hmm, then maybe instead of just fighting on instinct we should come up with an actual plan of attack," Shinichi replied. "I noticed that when you were attacking him before, all of your physical attacks seemed to go right through his body, but all your elemental attacks he blocked with his tombstones."

"Yeah, so?" Takuya replied.

"It might just be my imagination, but I think there's something to that pattern. And I'm getting this odd energy reading from the tombstones themselves. Hmm, could it be?" Shinichi asked himself. "Hitodama, **Hidden Insight!** " Hitodama's eyes began to glow brightly in response to Shinichi's command, and then Shinichi's eyes began to glow brightly as well. "Aha! Just as I thought!" Shinichi exclaimed. "Takuya, using Hitodama's Hidden Insight skill I can see certain weak points that enemies keep hidden, and he's got a big weak point! Two of them to be exact!" Shinichi exclaimed with a wide smile.

"You mean the tombstones? They're his weakness? How?" Takuya asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but Hidden Insight doesn't lie. If you break them, something good's bound to happen," Shinichi replied.

"Okay, but how do I destroy them? He's been using them to block all my attacks, remember?" Takuya replied.

"Only your Persona's elemental skills, right? When you used them he countered with the tombstones, however when you tried to use a physical attack he let you attack him directly," Shinichi explained.

"Oh I've got it! He should do the opposite, right?! Physical attacks on the tombstones, and then elemental attacks on his actual body!" Ayuka exclaimed.

"Hey, who's providing backup here? Me or you?" Shinichi replied.

"The opposite, eh? Alright, I'll give it a try. Thanks, Ayuka," Takuya replied.

Ayuka giggled. "No problem."

"What? But it was my idea," Shinichi said in a crestfallen tone.

"Alright ugly, get ready for a turnabout!" Takuya shouted. " **Soul Collector!** " Then Zenbyou's eyes began to glow and the blade of his scythe began to grow exponentially until it was at least five times its previous size. And the blade shone a bright, exuberant blue. "Follow my lead, buddy!" Takuya shouted at Zenbyou. Then Takuya rushed towards Berserk Shadow Shinichi and swung back his scythe with all his might, while Zenbyou followed from behind and did the same.

Berserk Shadow Shinichi became briefly startled. "N-No! **Dying Hope! Crushing Despair!** " Berserk Shadow Shinichi called upon the power in both of his tombstones and prepared to knock back Takuya and Zenbyou.

But they didn't stop and simply pressed forward. "Hyaaaaaaaaa!" Takuya swung his scythe in a big circle and made two large cuts on the tombstones, narrowly avoiding them crashing down upon his head. Zenbyou followed and used the deep cuts as weak points to cut the two tombstones in half. The tombstones stopped glowing as their bottom halves fell down to the ground.

"Nooooooo!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed as he held his broken tombstone nunchaku.

"Aha! So that's what you were hiding! Takuya, I've figured out his trick! The tombstones were keeping him from being corporeal, that's why all your physical attacks wouldn't hit him! But now that they're out of the way…!" Shinichi exclaimed before he was cut off by Takuya.

"He's defenseless!" Takuya swung back around and used his scythe to cut Berserk Shadow Shinichi, and the leftover tombstone nunchaku chain. Then Zenbyou followed behind him and unleashed another devastating slice with his Soul Collector blade, making Berserk Shadow Shinichi scream in agony and fall down to the ground in pain.

"Direct hit! Awesome work, Takuya!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Th-This can't be…! How could…you have broken my powerful…defense?!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi exclaimed.

"It's no mystery, two heads are better than one after all. When Takuya and I came together as a team, we managed to see through your trick and counter you easily. Don't you get it? The reason we're going to win is because we have each other, and the reason you're going to lose is because you're all alone," Shinichi explained.

"I refuse to…accept that! We are meant…to be alone! In this world of darkness, pain, and…isolation it is only natural…for us to be alone!" Berserk Shadow Shinichi shouted. "Why do you choose…to defy the will of this world?!"

"Because I don't want to be alone anymore! I want to stay with Takuya! I want to help him save everyone who's in danger in the omens! I want to change this world!" Shinichi shouted in defiance. "Takuya, let's end this!"

"You've got it!" Takuya exclaimed. " **Garu!** " Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at Berserk Shadow Shinichi. Berserk Shadow Shinichi screamed in agony as Zenbyou's wind attack cut right through him. Finally, the battle was over.

Zenbyou and Hitodama disappeared, and Takuya and Shinichi high-fived in victory. "Alright!" the two boys shouted.

"Heh, not bad for your first fight, Casper," Takuya replied.

"Hey, that's not funny! The name's Phantasm! Phan-tas-m!" Shinichi shouted in anger and waved his little ghost arms all about.

Takuya chuckled. "Sure, sure. Whatever."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one who finds a problem with your motif," Ayuka said to Shinichi. "Takuya, what was your name again? Sin Eater?"

"Sin Eater? Wow, talk about lame," Shinichi replied in an unamused tone.

"Oh, like Phantasm's any better?" Takuya replied in a snarky tone.

"Now, now. Play nice you two," Ayuka replied. "I thought you guys were good friends now?" The three were interrupted by a loud, pained groan. They turned back to their fallen enemy and saw the darkness surrounding him began to fade, and his Berserk form with it. A few moments later he was back to being his regular form. Shadow Shinichi panted heavily as he pushed himself up off the ground.

"I…I can't believe it. You actually won. How? How can this be possible?" Shadow Shinichi asked as he shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand. How could you win, when I refuse to let meaningless things like memories and interpersonal relationships tie me down? In this place, you're supposed to be alone. That's the point, right? Everything happens for a reason. There's a reason why we're unlike other spirits, that we are not able to remember who we once were. At least that's what I thought. All this time, I've just been content in thinking that way. I didn't see the point in second guessing it. We're not meant to remember our past; we're meant to wander this hellhole alone for eternity. That's the conclusion I came up with."

"But doesn't that sound really sad and lonely?" Shinichi asked his Shadow. "Being forced to wander a world of emptiness forever without knowing anything different? Don't you want to try and expand your horizons even a little?" Shinichi snickered. "I mean come on, you can't honestly tell me that you like this place, can you?"

Shadow Shinichi shook his head. "No, of course not. I hate it as much as you do. I don't want to be like this, but I just can't shake the feeling that it's what's meant to be. I've spent all my time, trying to convince you of such, and yet in one fell swoop you challenge my beliefs in accepting the emptiness and pain, and emerge victorious. What does this mean? I still don't understand. If we're not supposed to accept our tragic fate, then do we fight it?" he asked himself.

"I don't know if that's what we're meant to do per se, but it's what I want to do. I don't want to just give up and spend eternity in this dreary place. I want to have an actual life…or afterlife I guess," Shinichi replied by rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Anyway, the point is, I'm not sure what exactly all of this means. It's true that we're not like other spirits, and it's true that even now we still feel a lot of pain when we try to remember our past, but the truth is we have no idea just what that all entails. I agree that there has to be a reason behind it all, but that doesn't mean we just have to give up and accept it that it's hopeless. I for one, want to remember my life before I died. I want to remember my family and friends, and all the good times I had when I was still alive. But at the same time, I don't want to remain trapped in Limbo either. I think that's the reason why we can travel between here and the mortal world, it's a chance to change our fate. Because if it weren't for me traveling there I never would have met Takuya. And now that I actually have a friend, I don't want to go back to being all lost and alone. I hated feeling that way, and I know you did too."

"…" Shadow Shinichi remained silent.

"Don't you see? I'm different now. We're different now. We may be in the body of a cartoonish looking ghost, but still. We have the power now to truly change this world, and to help anyone who appears in an omen. Heck, we might even be able to find some way to help all the spirits who are trapped here move on to the true afterlife. Isn't that right, Takuya?" Shinichi asked.

Takuya nodded. "All I want to do is help those in danger, that's the reason I became a Grim Reaper in the first place."

"It can be the same for us too," Shinichi said to his Shadow. Then he sighed. "I admit; I do have doubts about all of this even now. As a matter of fact, I think my doubts were what created you in the first place. But I don't want to just accept things as the way they are, I want to actually do something to change them. I have hope that things will get better, and that we'll regain our memories. All I'm asking is that you have hope too." Shinichi extended his right small, fingerless ghost hand to his Shadow. "So what do you say? Are you willing to accept the fact that our future has yet to be written, and help me write it?"

"…" Shadow Shinichi looked at the small ghost hand that was extended toward him. Then he sighed and smirked. "I guess, it's possible for us to change this world now that we've been given an incredible gift and a good friend," he said as he motioned to Takuya. "And who knows? Maybe one day our memories will return to us. To be honest, I'd be really happy if they did. So, okay. I'll help you realize your hopes, I promise." Shadow Shinichi extended his right hand and shook Shinichi's little ghost hand. Then a bright aura began to envelop Shadow Shinichi and soon his body began to fade away into a bright light, until nothing was left of him but a small ball made up of darkness and light. Shinichi reached out to touch it, and when he did it surprised him by flying into his chest and going through his heart.

"Wh-What is this feeling?" Shinichi asked.

"That's the feeling of your Shadow becoming one with you," Takuya replied. "Your inner light and darkness are now in perfect balance. You are now officially a Grim Reaper, congratulations."

"A Grim Reaper, eh?" Shinichi replied. He snickered in delight. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

Then all of a sudden, Ayuka cleared her throat. "Well then, now that all this craziness has been resolved, what do you say we get down to business?"

"…" Takuya and Shinichi both went silent.

Ayuka turned to face Shinichi. "First of all, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. My name's Ayuka Yamasato, and I'm a second year at Yousha Academy. And I just became Takuya's friend today…and now I'm kind of regretting it for getting involved in all of this nonsense," she said with an added sweatdrop.

Shinichi sweatdropped in reply. "Oh, okay then. I'm Shinichi, and I'm a ghost as you can probably tell. Other than that I don't know anything about myself. I met Takuya yesterday, the first time he came to Limbo."

"And do you know anything about all of this Grim Reapers, Personas, and Shadows stuff? Oh and about Limbo too?" Ayuka asked.

"Well in most of that stuff, I'm a beginner too, so I know about as much as Takuya does," Shinichi replied. "And I only know a little bit about Limbo so far, and that's from spending three months here."

Ayuka clasped her hands together as she contemplated things. "Okay then, next order of business. We leave this place once and for all, and then you two can explain everything to me. Because after going through all of this, I am damn sure not being left out of the loop. Are we all in agreement? Good, then let's finally leave!" Ayuka exclaimed without giving the boys a chance to respond.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Takuya exclaimed. "If I'm right, then we can get out the same we came in. Follow me." Takuya walked over to arts and clubs building and then raised up his right arm to the main entrance' keyhole. The skeleton key tattoo shone a bright blue and a loud unlocking sound filled the air. And then Takuya pushed open the doors, and Shinichi and Ayuka followed behind him into the building. Immediately, Takuya and Ayuka knew that they were back in their world's version of the arts and clubs building, due to the brightly lit hallway, the sounds emanating from all the clubrooms, and the scant students scattered in the hall here and there. Another good sign was that Takuya was no longer dressed in his Grim Reaper garb and was back to wearing his school uniform, and Shinichi was no longer in his phantom form and was back to normal.

Ayuka literally jumped for joy. "Yes! We're finally back! Oh my God, I'm so happy I could just kiss the floor!" Her shouting got the attention of some of the students in the hallway. But she didn't care, she was too excited to be concerned about how she looked or sounded. Then Ayuka grabbed Takuya and forced him into a vice-like hug. "Thank you for getting us out of there, Takuya! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Then she let go of him and immediately slapped him.

"Owwww!" Takuya yelped in pain and rubbed his cheek. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For dragging me through all of that in the first place!" Ayuka shouted at him.

"Hey, I kept you safe, didn't I?!" Takuya shouted back at her.

"I don't know! I was unconscious for most of the time!" Ayuka shouted back even louder.

"Hey, you guys!" Shinichi suddenly exclaimed.

"What?!" Takuya and Ayuka both shouted at Shinichi.

Shinichi simply pointed in the direction of the other students. "You guys might want to keep it down, people are starting to give you odd looks."

Ayuka finally realized where they were and she yelped in surprise. "Say something next time," she harshly whispered to Shinichi. "I must have looked like a freaking lunatic."

"Sorry, you guys were so wrapped up in your argument that I couldn't…" Then Shinichi realized something. "Hang on, Ayuka. Can you see me, and hear me?"

"Duh, why wouldn't I be able to? I could in Limbo, right?" Ayuka whispered to Shinichi.

"Limbo and our world are different," Takuya replied in a whisper. "Ghosts can't be seen quite as easily."

"But now she's able to see me," Shinichi replied. "I wonder, could it be because she's been to Limbo and seen me there?"

"Huh, that follows with what happened to me. I met you in Limbo and then I could see you in our world," Takuya replied in whisper.

"So you mean it's the same thing for me? Does this mean I can see any ghost in our world now? Not just you?" Ayuka asked in a whisper.

"Maybe, it's just a theory mind you. However, there's one thing you guys need to keep in mind if you're going to keep conversing with me like this. Not everyone can see or hear me, so to most people it looks like you're having a conversation with the air, like these people for example." Again Shinichi pointed out the students that were still in the hallway. The looks they had on their faces now were even more confused and perplexed.

Ayuka blushed in embarrassment. "Umm, why don't we continue this conversation in the orchestra club room? It should still be empty," Ayuka replied in an even more quieter whisper.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea," Takuya replied in an even more quieter whisper.

"Great, now I can't hear you," said Shinichi.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Meanwhile, in the school infirmary, a sleeping girl began to stir. She had snow white skin, and shaggy black hair which was dyed green in certain places. She was laying down in one of the infirmary's beds with the curtain drawn closed. She opened her eyes, revealing them to be a lime green in color. She sat up slowly in the bed and looked to her right. There was a small nightstand which had her valuables on it, as well as her hairbands and glasses. "Where am I?" she asked herself. "How did I get…?" Immediately her eyes widened in surprise when she realized what had happened. She recalled being stabbed in the abdomen in Limbo by an unknown assailant. Immediately she felt her stomach to see if the wound was still there, yet all she felt was a small scar.

The curtains were drawn back and the girl turned to see who her guest was. "You're awake, that's a relief," said an unknown boy. The girl studied the boy's features for a moment. He had pale skin, black hair that was styled in a chin-length bowl haircut, and a pair of tired-looking, light brown eyes. He also had a small button nose, and a slightly pointy chin. He was also really scrawny-looking and had little muscle mass. His school uniform was slightly messy in appearance. He wore his jacket unbuttoned, and he also wore a black beanie on top of his head with a pin, with the Yousha Academy insignia angel on it, pinned to it. "You looked like you were a goner there for a second. Good thing you took an injury like that in Limbo and not here otherwise it would have been a whole lot worse. I would've probably had to take you to the hospital and I don't know how I could've explained what exactly happened to you." It took a moment for the girl to realize that she knew the boy, fairly well in fact.

"Gabe-kun? What happened? The last thing I remember is I was stabbed. How did I get here?" the girl asked.

"I carried you all the way from the arts and clubs building. It was kind of a hassle since you were still unconscious, but luckily for me you aren't that heavy," the boy named Gabe replied.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "That's a nice thing to say to a girl."

"I don't really consider you a girl, Ikumi. That's why I don't have trouble talking to you," Gabe replied with a chuckle.

The girl named Ikumi scoffed. "And that's a really nice thing to say to a girl too. So I take it you saved me from whoever stabbed me? Well, I guess I should thank you for that at least. So thanks for saving me or whatever," she said in a forced apology.

"Wow, that sounds really grateful," Gabe replied.

"Bite me," Ikumi replied. Then she remembered something important. "What about Sin-kun and the princess? Are they okay?"

"Sin-kun? Oh you must mean that guy in the hoodie," Gabe replied. "Yeah he and his girlfriend are both fine. There was a big fluctuation in spiritual power in Limbo a little while ago. It must have been another Shadow going berserk. But it disappeared just as fast as it appeared, so I assumed they must have taken care of it on their own. I didn't hear any news from Prospero and the others on it."

Ikumi smiled. "Sin-kun, you've gotten a little stronger, haven't you?"

"So that guy was the Persona user then?" Gabe replied. He contemplated their next move. "Did he tell you anything about himself?"

"He goes to Yousha with us, and he's in our year. He just found out about Limbo yesterday too. So he's a noob in every way shape and form," Ikumi replied. "But there's some odd things about him as well. He managed to fight off his own Shadow single handedly before I had to step in and help him finish it off. His spiritual power is phenomenal. I'd say he might actually be in the same league as Prospero."

"I see, if that's the case then we definitely want him as an addition to our team. We're probably going to need the power in order to deal with your assailant. Trust me, that guy is strong. If he hadn't have chosen to withdraw voluntarily he could've killed us all right then and there," Gabe replied.

"You're kidding. I just thought he got the jump on me, but he's actually that strong?" Ikumi replied.

Gabe nodded and then he sat down on Ikumi's bedside. "He's a Persona user, like we figured. But he doesn't seem to be working for the man with the pocket watch. And just from one encounter with him, I'd say he's light years ahead of any of us in knowledge and power. He might even be too much for the boss to take on."

Ikumi looked really confused. "Someone who's stronger than Prospero? I didn't even think such a thing would be possible."

Gabe scoffed. "I saw it with my own eyes. It took all my willpower just to not quiver in my boots. He calls himself Death, and he wants to be the only Grim Reaper who can freely roam Limbo. Death might be a suitable title for him now that I think about it."

Ikumi sighed. "Remember when our lives used to make sense? Half a year ago, I wouldn't have even imagined doing something like this."

Gabe lightly chuckled. "This kind of fits me like a glove. I've always wanted to do something great, and now I have a chance to literally help save the world. Don't worry, everything will work out in the end. We'll keep getting stronger and stronger and we'll stop whatever the man with the pocket watch is planning."

Ikumi nodded in agreement.

* * *

A/N: Our young hero obtains a new ally, the mighty Phantasm. Surely his spiritual abilities will prove quite useful for our young hero. But now it appears as if an observer has made himself known. Who is this mysterious and poetic young child of man? And what of the other Persona users? Just what is their role to play in all of this? Only time will tell.


	17. Chapter XIV

A/N: The beautiful, young musician with a broken heart and the boy who has been tainted with the sin of murder, surely it is not a coincidence that these two did not cross paths with our young hero by coincidence. The strings of fate are slowly pulling them in each other's direction. Could these two also possess the potential to gain true power? Let's find out shall we.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XIV: The pianists' promise**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Back in the orchestra clubroom, Takuya and Shinichi began explaining everything they had learned about Limbo, Shadows, and Personas to Ayuka as they promised her beforehand to do. Shinichi also took the time to explain his ghost abilities and demonstrate them for her amusement. However, Takuya purposely left out everything that he had learned in the Velvet Room and seeing Michiko Endou in an omen the day before, as to not greatly alarm Ayuka. He decided to only share this with her, if and when the time was right. But for right now, with her having no spiritual power to speak of, he felt it was best to keep her as far away from Limbo as possible. He didn't want to drag her into another mess in which she could end up killed.

"Okay, so is that everything you wanted to ask? Do you feel like you understand it all okay?" Takuya asked Ayuka after their discussion had concluded.

Ayuka sighed. "I guess I do. It's just really weird to wrap my head around. I've never even really believed in ghosts or anything supernatural for that matter, and now to be presented with such clear evidence that all these things exist. It's a little overwhelming. How did you get used to all of this so fast, Takuya?"

"Well, I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I had to believe that these things were real or else I would admit the fact that there was no pointing in saving the people in these omens, or keeping these evil spirits at bay. Someone has to do something about all of this, and if that someone has to be me, then so be it. Besides, it's not like I'm in this alone. I have Shinichi here to help me, and from the looks of it there's more Persona users out there who are trying to do the same thing," Takuya explained.

"Yeah you guys mentioned that. A bunny girl and a cowboy, quite an odd pair," said Shinichi.

"And White Rabbit said that she was part of a group of Persona users. In fact, before she got stabbed I think she was going to ask me if I wanted to join them," Takuya replied. "If at all possible, we should see if we can find them too. They might be able to tell us more about Limbo."

"Hey more information is great and all, but are we even really sure that we can trust these guys?" Shinichi asked.

"White Rabbit helped me defeat my Shadow, if wasn't for her I wouldn't have fully become a Grim Reaper," Takuya replied.

"And if wasn't for that Revenant guy I might be dead right now," Ayuka added. "That psycho Death nearly had me and Takuya dead to rights before he showed up and stopped him. I know I don't really have a say in this as the only person here without powers of any kind but I think you should trust them. They seem like good people."

Shinichi sighed. "Alright, I'm on board. Let's keep an eye out for them, and maybe even join up with them if we can."

"White Rabbit said that she also attended Yousha. She's a second year like us," he said to Ayuka. "Still though, it's probably going to be tough to track her down without knowing her real name."

"Well if you need any help in that department, let me know." Ayuka yawned. "This whole day's just been exhausting. I think I'm going to skip practice for today and just head home to rest."

Takuya yawned. "Yeah, I think I'm going to head back to my room and hit the hay too." Then Takuya's eyes widened. "Oh crap! I was supposed to meet my grandfather at 12:00! I completely forgot!"

"Seriously?! You're so late! We've been gone for hours now!" Ayuka exclaimed.

"Oh God! Oh God! My cousin's literally going to kill me!" Takuya began to panic. "I'm gonna end up as a ghost like Shinichi!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Don't get so melodramatic. Check your phone."

"My phone? What about my phone?" Takuya replied as he pulled out his cellphone. Then he saw something very surprising. The time read: _11:45_. "What? This can't be right. It was at least 11:30 when we finished cleaning and then we went into Limbo right after that. We had to have been there at least a couple of hours. How could only fifteen minutes have passed?"

Shinichi snickered. "Sorry I neglected to mention this, I just thought you guys would have realized it by yourselves. It's pretty easy to tell after all. Time works differently here than it does in Limbo. An hour over there can be a minute over here or even less. So counting the fact that we've spent a few hours over there and then spent a few minutes discussing everything with Ayuka. Fifteen minutes seems appropriate."

Takuya growled. "You seriously couldn't have said anything before I freaked out?!"

"Again, sorry. But really I thought you knew, I mean you were the one who figured out that physical injuries sustained over there are minuscule over here," Shinichi replied and referred to their previous discussion. "Even I didn't know that one."

Takuya sighed. "Oh well, I guess it's no big deal. This means I can be on time for the meeting at least. Still though, that doesn't change the fact that I'm exhausted. I guess, even if time doesn't register the fact that we've spent almost all day in Limbo, our bodies do."

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't know about that, I'm a ghost."

Ayuka yawned again. "Well either way, I'm still exhausted, so I'm still going to head home. I'll leave Endou-senpai a note for when she comes back. And thanks again for helping me clean the clubroom earlier, Takuya." Ayuka then gathered her things and grabbed a pen and paper to leave a note for Michiko. "See you tomorrow, Takuya. And I'd hurry up and head on over to the main office building if I were you. You don't want to keep the headmaster waiting, even if he is your grandfather." She was about to head out the door before she turned back. "Oh and it was nice meeting you too, Shinichi. I hope we can talk to each other again soon."

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Ayuka nodded. "Later," she said as she waved goodbye to the two boys and shut the clubroom door behind her. And with that, Takuya and Shinichi were left alone together in the clubroom.

"Okay, now that she's gone I can tell you," Takuya said to Shinichi.

"Tell me what?" Shinichi asked in confusion.

"I found her. I found our omen girl," Takuya replied.

Shinichi's eyes widened. "Seriously?! Why didn't you say something earlier?! Who is she?!"

"Her name's Michiko Endou, she's a third year here at Yousha. And she's also the Student Council President," Takuya replied. "And the reason I couldn't say anything with Ayuka in the room is because she knows Endou-senpai personally. Along with being the Student Council President, she's also the president of Ayuka's club, and Ayuka really looks up to her. If she found out what might happen to her, Ayuka might try to get herself even more involved in all of this this than she already is. And the last thing I want is for her to get hurt," Takuya explained.

Shinichi sighed. "Wow, that's heavy." Then he nodded. "Okay, I understand. We'll save the Prez without Ayuka being any the wiser. From now on, it's probably better if you avoid mentioning anything related to Limbo around her. And in the meantime, I'll use my abilities to keep track of the Prez."

Takuya nodded. "Alright we have a game plan. We're going to save Endou-senpai for sure."

Then Shinichi gave Takuya a grim expression. "But that reminds me, we may have another problem on our hands. You know that guy who lives in the dorm room next to you? Ryuta Yanasai?"

Takuya was confused. "Yeah, what about him?"

"He's in Limbo," Shinichi simply said.

Takuya's eyes widened immensely. "What?! Wh-What do you mean he's in Limbo?!"

Shinichi sighed. "While you were with your cousin, I decided to follow after Yanasai. That's where I disappeared to," he explained. "I got this odd feeling about him, from the very first moment I saw him. I couldn't shake it so I had to find out what was so special about him. He started talking to this non-existent third person and then the next moment he suddenly changed. This dark aura surrounded him and his eyes changed color. I think…I think he might've been possessed by his Shadow."

"Possessed by his Shadow?" Takuya replied in confusion.

Shinichi nodded. "After that I saw him wander into Limbo. I was actually there to try and find him when I ran into you and Ayuka."

"Yanasai? Yanasai, is involved in this now too?" Takuya asked himself. "Well what are we waiting for?! We have to go look for him right now!" Takuya hopped off the desk he was sitting on and made a break for the door to the clubroom.

"Hang on! Hang on! We can't just go into Limbo and search high and low for him. That's way too inefficient. I spent about two hours in Limbo just checking the academy campus for him. He could be anywhere at this point," Shinichi explained.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Takuya asked. "We can't just leave him there."

"I'm not saying we should, but let's face it. You're exhausted from today, and doing a thorough search of the Akiba version of Limbo alone would take forever with just the two of us. (A/N: In case you forgot, Yousha Academy is located on the outskirts of Akihabara.) Look, he's not in any immediate danger right now. I sensed that much at least when we were still inside Limbo. Wherever he is, he's safe for the moment. His Shadow hasn't gone berserk yet, so his chances are still good. What we need to do is find out more about him, and then maybe we can figure out where he could've gone. But it's going to take some time and a little digging. So for now, you should go see your grandfather and I'll go look for the Prez. We'll meet up later at your dorm room to discuss how we'll proceed," Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed. "I guess that's all we can do at the moment. Alright, I'll go and see my grandfather and we can talk about what to do next later." Takuya felt bad about leaving Ryuta all alone in Limbo, but he knew Shinichi was right. They couldn't do any more for Ryuta, until they learned where he might've gone. Takuya opened the clubroom's door and then prepared to head to the meeting with his grandfather. Then he turned back to Shinichi. "And Shinichi, thank you. You're a good friend."

Shinichi smiled. "No thanks necessary." Then Takuya left the clubroom as well and Shinichi found himself all alone. He got up from the desk he was sitting on and then prepared to head out as well. "Alright Prez, just where are you hiding?"

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Noon**

Takuya arrived at Yousha Academy's main office building minutes later. He then used a directory on the first floor to find his grandfather's office. It was on the top floor of the large three floor building. A few more minutes later, Takuya arrived in front of the headmaster's office. Takuya checked the time on his cellphone. It was now 11:59. He was on time. Takuya let out a sigh of relief and then without any hesitation, he went inside and was met with the sight of a small waiting room, which led to the headmaster's personal office behind another closed door. A mousey-looking, black-haired woman sat at a desk to the right of the headmaster's personal office. The mosey-looking woman looked up from her desk when Takuya entered the office. Takuya figured she must have been his grandfather's secretary. He looked at her desk and saw a nameplate that read: _赤城恭子_ ( _Akagi Kyoko_ ). "May I help you?" she asked Takuya.

"Umm, yes. I'm here to see Headmaster Miyazaki. I have a meeting scheduled with him," Takuya replied.

"Oh, you must be Takuya-kun," the secretary named Akagi replied. "Your grandfather's really excited to have you here. It's all he's been talking about for months."

Takuya lightly chuckled. "I'm excited to be here too."

"Well your grandfather should be in there," Akagi replied. "So you can go ahead on in, oh but knock first." Takuya nodded and then walked up to the headmaster's private office door, and then as instructed, he knocked three times.

From the other side of the door, Takuya heard a wise and educated-sounding voice say, "Enter." In reply, Takuya opened the door and then walked inside the private office, making sure to close the door behind him. Takuya looked around the office and saw the décor that his grandfather had assigned to the place. The floor was covered in light red carpeting and the walls were beige in color, shelves lined with books, folders, and knickknacks surrounded the room, and there were two large full-body windows on the back wall that had violet curtains lining them. In the center of the room there were two brown leather couches that were facing each other across from a small black coffee table. And at the very back of the room there was a large desk with two red chairs facing a large blue one on opposite sides of the desk. And an old, scholarly-looking man currently sat in the large blue chair. He had thin, neatly combed gray hair, a small, neatly-trimmed gray beard, pale skin with a few wrinkles and liver spots scattered here and there, and bright green eyes which held a comforting aura. He wore a dark gray tweed jacket with brown elbow patches over a forest green sweater vest, a white dress shirt, and a red tie; he also a wore a pair of dark gray pants, a pair of black dress shoes, and a pair of black framed, half-moon spectacles. This was Takuya's grandfather, Hiroshi Miyazaki, headmaster of Yousha Academy for over forty years. Hiroshi appeared to be doing paperwork at his desk, but when Takuya entered his office, his attention immediately turned to him. Hiroshi smiled at his grandson. "I was wondering when you would be arriving. To my surprise you're right on time. It's been a long time since we've seen each other face to face." Hiroshi chuckled. "My how you've grown, you look like you're as tall as me now."

Takuya smiled. "It's good to see you too, grandfather."

Hiroshi chuckled again. "Why the devil are you being so formal with me? I remember from when you could first talk till you were nine years old, you would call me nothing but Pop-Pop."

Takuya blushed in embarrassment. "I'm not a little kid anymore, grandfather."

Hiroshi shook his head. "No, I guess you aren't. You're a brave and responsible young man, who's been through more heartache and pain than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime. I truly admire the man you're becoming." Hiroshi got up from his chair and moved to the front of his desk. "Well don't just stand there, come give your dear old grandfather a hug. I'd say after eight years, you're overdue for one."

Takuya smiled and then as instructed he walked over to his grandfather and gave him a great big hug. His grandfather hugged him for a few moments before letting him go and placing his hands on his shoulders. "Let me get a good look at you." Hiroshi examined Takuya's features. "Aha, there's the signature Miyazaki green eyes, shining brightly as ever. And I see you've grown into quite a handsome young man. You must be a real lady killer. Tell me, any old girlfriends back in America?"

Takuya shook his head. "No unfortunately, I could never find anyone who I really clicked with."

"Aww, that's a shame. Why, I'll have you know that when I was your age I was quite the heart-breaker. Once, I dated six girls within the span of two months. This was before I met your grandmother of course." Hiroshi patted his grandson on the back. "Well don't you worry. You're young, there's still plenty of time to find love." Then Hiroshi motioned Takuya to sit down at one of the empty red chairs. "Now come, have a seat and we'll get down to business." Takuya did as he was told and sat down, and then Hiroshi went back behind his desk and sat down in his chair. Takuya took note of several items that were on his grandfather's desk. A computer, a few books, several pencils and pens, a stack of paperwork, a nameplate, and several photos of people important to his grandfather. A photo taken of Takuya, Fuyumi, and Hiroshi when the two teenagers were kids was prominently displayed amongst the others. Takuya also saw that there was a photo of his father and mother amongst the bunch as well. "Now then first thing's first, tell me what you think of Yousha so far."

Takuya sighed. "Well to be honest at first, I was a little anxious. But I've met some really great people here so far, and the academy itself seems like an awesome place. So I think I'm going to really like it here."

Hiroshi chuckled in a joyful manner. "That's really good to hear. A student's school life should be about more than just education, it should be about making friends, trying new things, and most of all enjoying life to the fullest. You may not realize it now, but these will be some of the best days of your life. And I'm really happy to hear that you're already trying to make new friends. Your parents warned me that you might be closed off at first, but I have to say it sounds like you're already adjusting quite well."

"If you must know, it was sort of my plan to keep to myself at the start. But today, I met these two really awesome people, and they helped me realize a lot about myself. So even if the rumors about me follow me from America, I think I'll be alright as long as I have them by my side. And with any luck, soon I'll meet more awesome people like them," Takuya explained.

Hiroshi frowned. "So I take it you've heard about our little scandal going on here at Yousha then?"

Takuya sighed. "Yousha Unmasked. Fuyumi told me a little about it, but I overheard a lot of other people talking about it as well. It sounds like I'm its latest target."

Hiroshi sighed. "I'm so sorry that this has happened. You came here to get away from all the lies and rubbish that's being said about you, and you ended up being ambushed with it here as well. I swear, I will find the culprit responsible for this if it's the last thing I do. I know as headmaster of the academy I should remain neutral in matters such as this, but I cannot help but take personal offense when one of my own grandchildren is being turned into a pariah."

"It's okay, grandfather," Takuya assured Hiroshi. "Like I said, I've already met some good people here and they know about my situation. As it stands now, things are already a lot better here than they were back home. But I do want you to catch this guy, not just for me, but for everyone who's been turned into a pariah by him. I've already had the pleasure of meeting a few of the other targets actually," he explained.

Hiroshi boisterously chuckled and then he smiled. "You have really turned into an amazing young man. I'm so proud of you." And then he suddenly frowned. "But now, I'm afraid we must talk about another dire issue, namely the incident that transpired yesterday."

Takuya frowned as well. 'Oikawa's accident,' he thought to himself.

"I realize now that I might have been partially to blame. Don't think I hadn't considered the reason why you would do something so reckless. I made a promise with you that I would come and pick you up from the airport personally, and yet something came up and I had to delegate this task to a member of my personal staff. I'm truly sorry for not making time for you, my own grandson who I haven't seen in years. And I want you to know that from now on, if you have any problem at all. Don't hesitate to come to me and talk about it. You don't even need to make an appointment, even if I'm busy with something else at that very moment, I want you to come to me with whatever problem you may have. I do care deeply about you, never doubt that."

Takuya nodded. "I'm sorry grandfather. It won't happen again, I promise."

Hiroshi nodded in understanding. "But do know, that I'm not the only person to blame in this situation. You're responsible as well, and I expect you to take your share of the blame. At Yousha we operate on a three strike system as opposed to a zero tolerance policy. Any disruptions in class or at school in general will be handled by the teachers and will usually result in detention of some kind. However, any act that is considered not only dangerous to the school but also dangerous to the individual student as well will be met with a strike on that student's record. The students we admit here at Yousha come from all walks of life, and we understand that sometimes people make mistakes. Which is why is we give everyone a chance to redeem themselves. However, if the student refuses to learn from their actions and better themselves in the process, and ends up with three strikes against them on their record. I will be forced to expel them from the academy. And for quite a few of our students here, that would mean the end of their academic careers, which is why everyone here takes this system very seriously." Then Hiroshi sighed. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but I'm afraid your reckless actions yesterday leave me no choice. Consider this your first strike. This is a warning. As my grandson, I expect more from you than the average student here. Let this be a lesson to you."

Takuya sighed again. 'I guess I should consider myself lucky he didn't suspend me on the spot,' he thought to himself. "Thank you, grandfather. I understand, you're only doing your job. I promise, I won't screw up again."

Hiroshi nodded. "I know you won't. But you should know that I have contacted your parents about the matter as well, and when you get the chance they want you to call them and have another discussion about things with them."

"…" Takuya gulped. 'Even with a whole ocean between us, they can probably still make my life a living hell if they wanted to.'

"Now then about the other boy involved in the incident." Hiroshi searched through the stack of paperwork and folders that was on his desk and pulled out a file with Masahisa's name on it. He opened the file and then scanned the contents. "Masahisa Oikawa, such a bright young boy. However, his home life was apparently far from perfect. To tell you the truth, his parents barely even seemed to care that he was in the hospital. I also had a conversation over the phone earlier on with the guidance counselor from his previous school and he informed me of Masahisa's circumstances. Not to speak ill of them, but I cannot help but feel that his parents were imbeciles for not realizing how special their son truly was. People like that really make me sick, I wonder why they even bother having children in the first place," Hiroshi said in a dark tone. Then he put down the file and looked back at Takuya. "It's good that he found a friend in you. That poor boy needs a friend more than anyone. Especially with all the turmoil that's going on his life."

"Turmoil? What turmoil?" Takuya asked in confusion.

"Didn't he tell you? I heard from Fuyumi that the two of you got to know each other very well yesterday," Hiroshi replied. "Well, it's really not my place to say. Best to let him tell you in his own time."

"Grandfather, have you heard anything about Oikawa's condition? Can I go see him now?" Takuya asked.

"I heard from the hospital this morning. The doctors have managed to stabilize him but he's still in critical condition. They say it's going to be a few more days before he can receive visitors. And they're not entirely sure when he'll wake up," Hiroshi replied with a grim expression. "I'm very sorry."

Takuya slumped back in his chair. 'Oikawa,' he thought to himself.

Hiroshi tried to comfort his grandson. "Takuya, don't worry. I'm sure he'll be okay. He has a good friend like you watching over him, after all. I promise that I'll let you know as soon as the hospital says that he can receive visitors. I understand how important he is to you. And I'm sure you've already heard this a lot by now, but it's not your fault. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and there's nothing we can do to control it. But it's in those times especially that we have to force a smile, and try to believe that things will get better. And I'm sure Oikawa-kun would agree with me."

Takuya smiled. "You're right, grandfather. And thank you."

"Don't mention it," Hiroshi replied. "Now then if there's nothing else, I'll go ahead and let you go. I'm sure you still have quite a bit of unpacking ahead of you."

"Thank you, grandfather," Takuya replied, before getting up from his chair and heading towards the door.

"Oh and Takuya," Hiroshi called out to his grandson, getting Takuya to turn back and look at him.

"I'm sure you already know, but just to be on the safe side. You can call me grandfather, or whatever you like when we're alone, or your cousin is with us. But when we're out in public, I'd appreciate it if you could refer to me as Headmaster Miyazaki. I have to keep up appearances, you know," Hiroshi said with an added chuckle.

Takuya chuckled in reply. "Sure thing, grandfather. I'll talk to you later then." Hiroshi nodded and then silently went back to working on his paperwork. Takuya opened the door and exited his grandfather's office, closing the door behind him.

"Have a nice day, Takuya-kun," said Akagi.

"Thank you, ma'am, you too," Takuya replied as he exited the room. When he was outside the office, he checked his phone to see if he had gotten any new messages from his cousin. "No new messages. She must still be busy with Student Council stuff. Oh well, guess I'll just go back to my dorm room for now then. I wonder if Shinichi's already back there." Takuya then began his long walk back to the boys' dorm.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Noon**

Ayuka Yamasato had experienced quite an eventful and tragic sixteen years of life. The first twelve were filled with joyous memories of music and laughter, and that was mainly because of her best friend. Her younger brother by just one year, Benzo, was her whole world. At a young age Ayuka had shown great skill for playing the piano, and Benzo grew up watching her. So it was no surprise when he showed an interest in playing the piano as well. His reason for learning was none other than his amazing older sister.

Benzo worshipped his older sister, though Ayuka never really understood why. He was far more talented than her, that was made very apparent only a short while after he started playing. Still he was very childish and stubborn, and most of the time he refused to play unless Ayuka was in the room watching him. The siblings would spend hours playing together on their family's grand piano. It wasn't even really that odd for them fall asleep at the keys. They both loved the piano, and they both loved each other. Which was why, it was so heartbreaking to Ayuka when Benzo was diagnosed with brain cancer and became unable to play with her anymore.

The day Benzo was first diagnosed, Ayuka died a little inside. And as his condition only worsened, little pieces of her began slowly dying one after another. Benzo begged her time and time again to keep playing for the both of them, so Ayuka tried her best to persevere through the overwhelming pain and despair she felt inside. She began to spend every hour she could spare, sitting at her family's grand piano, but instead of practicing she simply played out what she felt in her heart. Her music once so cheery and uplifting, became something dark and dreary. Her parents took notice of her continued depression, but every time they tried to talk to her she simply brushed them off and said she was fine. She felt that her parents should've been more concerned about Benzo than her, after all she was only dying on the inside.

Benzo's condition only continued to worsen, and Ayuka only continued to grow more and more depressed and isolated. It got to the point where she could even barely set foot into the hospital where her brother was undergoing his continuous treatment. And to make matters worse, Benzo's medical treatments were causing the Yamasatos to face serious financial debt. Her parents began to work longer hours in order to just barely scrape by. This left Ayuka to deal with her overwhelming grief all alone. There were times she even contemplated taking her own life so she could be with her brother when he eventually…but of course she shook away those thoughts as quickly as they came because there was one small piece of her that still retained hope that Benzo would recover and they would go back to making music together like they always did. But what finally killed her completely was when the doctors revealed to her and her family that there was nothing more that they could do. They began to talk about treatments and surgeries that might extend Benzo's life a few more months or maybe even a year. But those tiny extensions of time mattered very little to Ayuka. It was a certainty that her brother, her whole world, was going to die. And the poor girl was left to deal with that horrible and tragic realization all alone.

Then it came at last, the day when her brother passed away. Her heart shattered into a million pieces almost instantaneously. No one could comfort her, no matter hard they tried. For a few weeks after that she barely spoke, she barely ate, and she barely slept. Every time she sat down at the piano she would just stare at the keys for hours on end. It was a dull, blank stare. Void of joy, love, or emotion of any kind. She was completely empty inside. And she remained that way still today. Her cheerful and passionate demeanor, a façade and nothing more. Music had become joyless to her, that's why she refused to play in front of other people, because if she did they would see her inner turmoil. Every time she played anything, especially the piano, she was reminded of her brother and the overwhelming pain would just bubble to the surface. She cried herself to sleep most nights. She merely acted like she was okay because she knew that she couldn't let everyone continue to worry about her forever. So even though it hurt to talk, even though it hurt to smile, even though it hurt to so much as move, she put on a brave face and just continued to be the person she thought everyone wanted her to be. She locked away her sadness and pain deep down inside, and that was the way she had lived for these past two years since her brother's death.

The Yamasatos lived in a small house in a suburban neighborhood in Shibuya. Every day Ayuka would walk to the station and take the train to school alone, and every evening she would do the same. There were other kids who attended Yousha near her, even some in her own neighborhood actually. But Ayuka always preferred to walk alone, even when she was asked if she wished to do otherwise. It was the same way at school. Ayuka always preferred to be left alone with her thoughts. She avoided social interactions of any kind, even joining the orchestra club was only to appease her parents who had been continuously trying to get her interested in playing more. So it was no wonder that even after attending Yousha for over a year now, she had still not made a single friend. But today was very different for her. Very different indeed.

Since meeting Takuya Miyazaki, the cousin of one of her classmates, she had learned about the existence of another world. And in that world lied monsters and ghosts of all kinds. It was a world that was supposedly inhabited by the spirts of people who have yet to move on, so it was appropriately named Limbo. Takuya and an odd ghost boy named Shinichi, were apparently chosen to become Grim Reapers by some unknown being and deliver these lost souls to the afterlife while at the same time keeping these monsters called Shadows at bay. To do this they used this odd power called Persona, which summoned the other side of them in a physical form that allowed them to call upon unbelievable powers and abilities. It was truly a bizarre day, and yet Ayuka couldn't help but find it all amusing.

Today, was the first day in the past two years in which things seemed more hopeful to Ayuka. And it was all because she had found a new friend. Takuya. Every time she thought about him, she would feel a warmth in her chest. It was a warmth that had only once been made by one person. Ayuka's younger brother, Benzo. Ayuka found it oddly amusing how much Takuya reminded her of Benzo, and she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of happiness knowing that she would see him again tomorrow. It had been so long since she had an actual friend, she had almost forgotten what it felt like. But she knew for sure, that she never wanted to let this feeling go, ever again. For the first time since her brother's death, her thoughts weren't plagued with her troubles or worries, they were filled with thoughts about what new surprises may await her tomorrow now that she had a new friend and her eyes had been opened to a brand new world.

'I wonder if Takuya will ever take me there again,' Ayuka thought to herself. Then her eyes widened. 'Wait, do I even want to go back there again?' She shook that thought from her head. 'Get serious girl, you almost died in that world, so many times. And now you just want to go back again tomorrow?' After a few more minutes of walking in silence, Ayuka finally arrived home. She opened the small front gate that led to her house's walkway, and then pulled her house key out from her bag. Then she stepped into her house and closed the door behind her. "Mom! Dad! I'm home early!" Ayuka shouted as she took off her shoes and placed them by the door with her bag. Her shouts were met with no response. Ayuka walked to the kitchen to investigate. "Huh, that's weird. They don't usually go out on Sundays," Ayuka said to herself.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she found a note that was pinned to the refrigerator. It read:

 _Something came up at work so your father and I had to go in today. We won't be back until late. Dinner's in the fridge if you get hungry. Love you, sweetie. –Mom_

Ayuka sighed. "Of course the one day I decide to come home early, they're still not here." Things had gotten a little better since her brother's passing, as her parents did not need to work as much to deal with his medical operations. However, they still owed a lot of money for the treatments Benzo underwent when he was alive, so her parents still did not get to come home as often as they used to before Benzo's original diagnosis. Because of this, Ayuka had grown accustomed to taking care of her own needs. "At least I won't have to cook anything tonight. Though for now, I'm a little thirsty." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a container of grape juice. Then she grabbed a clean glass from a cabinet a poured herself a glass of grape juice, and then when she put everything away she grabbed her glass and headed to her bedroom.

As Ayuka walked to the house's stairs, she passed by her family's grand piano. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the instrument in disarray. And before she knew it, she found herself walking over to the piano and lifting up its keyboard cover. She stared at the piano keys in great interest. She had played the piano since she was very little, so she was sure that even if she hadn't played this particular one in years, she would still be very familiar with all eighty-eight keys. She reached out to touch one of them, but before she could she drew her hand back. That particular motion recalled a certain memory to mind. Ayuka recalled how years ago, she and her brother had sat at this very piano together. This was the day Benzo first began to play the piano.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Back then, the Yamasatos still lived in the same small house in Shibuya, and the grand piano was in the same exact place that it was in now. Ayuka wore her hair down when she was younger, and almost every day she wore a sundress of some sort. That day she was wearing a strapped yellow sundress with small daisies printed on it, as well as a pair of long white socks. She was sitting at the piano with a boy who appeared to be her height and had her hair color and eyes, though his hair was a bit darker and curlier, and he also had freckles. This was Ayuka's younger brother, Benzo. That day, Benzo wore a light blue T-shirt, a pair of brown cargo shorts, and a pair of black socks._

 _Ayuka was busying herself by practicing Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16; she had been practicing for a while now and she had almost gotten to the point where she could play the opening perfectly. However, she kept getting distracted by Benzo, who was sitting at the piano bench with her and watching her play. Ayuka noticed how Benzo would creep his fingers out of his clenched hands over and over again, trying to touch the piano keys. But each time he came close to touching them, he just withdrew them and shook his head. Eventually Ayuka stopped playing and then she giggled at Benzo's anxiety. "What's the matter, Benzo? Why do you keep hesitating? You clearly want to play with me, so go ahead. It's fine."_

" _B-But Nee-chan, it's not so simple," Benzo replied as he shook his head. "You're amazing. You can even play really hard songs easily. And if I try to play like you, I'll just end up messing you up. I'm sure of it."_

 _Ayuka smiled at her little brother. "Come on, you give me too much credit. No one's good when they first start playing an instrument, especially the piano. Heck, even I wasn't that good when I first started playing," Ayuka said in a full of herself way._

" _Really?" Benzo said replied in a surprised tone. "I always thought you were a genius, Nee-chan."_

 _Ayuka rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Geez, you're going to make me blush. It just takes practice. With lots of practice, anyone can become a good musician. Come on, if you really want to learn how to play, your big sis will teach you."_

 _Benzo took in a deep breath and then nodded. "Okay, I'm ready. Teach me, Nee-chan."_

" _Alright first you have to do finger exercises. You won't be able to play if they get cramped, so go ahead and stretch them out a little bit. And then relax them," Ayuka replied. Benzo did as she instructed and then a minute later, the lesson was ready to begin. "Okay let's start with a scale first. I know you know this for sure, but just to show you where the keys are I'll demonstrate." Ayuka began pressing one key after another in a melody. "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do." Then she played it backwards. "Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-Mi-Re-Do." Then she turned to Benzo. "Alright, your turn."_

 _Benzo nodded and then he leaned up to the keyboard and began repeating what his sister had done. "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do. Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-Mi-Re-Do."_

 _Ayuka giggled. "Nice work, Benzo. Now that we're all warmed up, I think we're ready to play a song." Ayuka reached into the piano's music sheet box and pulled out the sheet music for a simple song, and then she placed it on the music rack. The music was for Mozart's version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star._

 _Benzo chuckled. "You sure do love Mozart, Nee-chan."_

" _Hush, his songs make for good practice," Ayuka replied. "Now why don't you go ahead and start playing?"_

 _Benzo looked at the sheet music and then back at the keys. "I…I don't know which key to press. I can't read any of this," he said._

 _Ayuka sweatdropped. "So you don't know about tablature either?" She sighed. "No need to worry. I'll teach you." Ayuka began to explain to her younger brother the meaning behind tablature and how match the piano keys to each specific note. To her amazement it only took Benzo about twenty minutes to fully grasp it. "Okay, now show me what you can do," said Ayuka after Benzo felt he was ready._

 _Benzo nodded and then took in a deep breath. Then he began to play, and for a few moments the room was filled with beautiful music. To Ayuka's amazement, Benzo had not missed a single beat and played through the whole song perfectly on his first try. When he was done, Benzo looked up at his sister. "How was that, Nee-chan?"_

 _Ayuka giggled in glee. "Benzo, that was awesome! Are you sure that was your first time playing?"_

" _Yeah," Benzo replied with an added blush._

 _Ayuka ruffled her little brother's hair. "This is too cool. You were calling me a genius, when all this time you were the one who turned out to be a genius. I seriously don't think I've ever heard of anyone grasping this much so easily. With your talent you could be a concert pianist one day."_

" _Y-You really think so?" Benzo replied._

 _Ayuka nodded. "Definitely. And I'll be cheering you on as loud as I can in the audience."_

 _Benzo smiled. "Then I want to keep playing, so I can live up to your expectations. So could you keep teaching me, Nee-chan? I want to get even better."_

 _Ayuka returned her brother's smile. "Nothing would make me happier."_

" _Oh and I won't allow you to be in the audience, if I become a famous musician then you're going to become one as well," Benzo replied. "You're my idol after all, Nee-chan. It would be disappointing if I outgrow you."_

 _Ayuka blushed. "Geez, why do you have to say embarrassing stuff like that? I'm seriously your idol?"_

 _Benzo chuckled. "It's true. I've been watching you play all this time. You're the only reason I even became interested in doing it. Didn't you know, Nee-chan? You've been my idol since the day I was born. When I grow up, I want to be just like you."_

" _How does that even follow? There's only a one-year age difference between us," Ayuka replied._

" _Then you'll just have to grow up and become someone who's worthy of being an idol, Nee-chan." Benzo shook his head. "I've already decided, I won't accept anybody else as a role model but you, Nee-chan. It can only be you. So make me proud, Nee-chan. And I promise I'll make you proud in return."_

 _Ayuka hugged her little brother. "You say the stupidest things sometimes, but I love you all the same." She put her hands on Benzo's shoulders. "Let's both do our best from here on out."_

" _Yeah," Benzo replied._

 _Ayuka smiled. 'I promise, I'll always be here for you, Benzo. I'll make you proud,' she thought to herself._

* * *

Tears began to stream down Ayuka's face, and she began to shake like a leaf. "Liar!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and threw her glass of juice at the grand piano. The glass shattered and shards of glass and grape juice littered the piano. Ayuka fell to her hands and knees and began to cry her eyes out. "It's your fault he's gone! It's your fault! It's all your fault! It should have been you! It should have been you! You weren't there for him when he needed you the most! Benzo! I'm sorry, Benzo! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. She cried and cried, until her tear ducts would no longer produce anymore tears. And then in a fit of exhaustion from the day she had, Ayuka crouched into a fetal position and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: The musician's heart has been broken into pieces by the death of her beloved younger brother. However, it appears that what we have been led to believe so far, may only be a fraction of the truth. What other secrets is she hiding? Only time will tell.


	18. Chapter XV

A/N: I can feel it. Canst thou? Our young hero's soul is slowly but surely connecting with others. The power of the Wild Card is making itself known once again. As ye all know, the power of bonds provides the holder of the Wild Card with great strength when things seem their darkest. It appears our young hero is no exception to this rule. Yes, it is almost time. The first Soul Link shall be established before the end of the day. Of this I am certain.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XV: The beginning of a strong bond**

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Late afternoon**

Michiko Endou was very distraught over the news that she had just heard only few hours ago. Apparently, a second year from her own club had committed suicide the night before. Haruna Iwasaki, a very talented girl with a bright future ahead of her. Not only was she very studious and hard-working when it came to her academics, but she was also a promising young viola player. It was her dream to attend a top-tier performing arts university and one day join a professional symphony orchestra. Haruna loved playing the viola more than anything else. At each club practice Michiko couldn't help but notice the heart-warming smile that spread across Haruna's face as she plucked each of the strings on her viola with her bow. Michiko could relate to Haruna's enthusiastic nature for playing a musical instrument, she loved playing her clarinet all the same. Which is why, Michiko was so confused as to the reason behind Haruna's death. How could she have not noticed how much Haruna was hurting on the inside? She was the president of the orchestra club and she talked to Haruna and the other members almost every day, and she was even the Student Council President, whose job was to speak up for the student body and guide them in the right direction. And yet, she couldn't even notice that one of her precious kouhai was in so much pain.

Ever since she had heard the dreadful news, she had just sat there in the Student Council room, her eyes still wide with shock, and in almost catatonic state. This was the sight that Shinichi saw upon first entering the Student Council room. "Takuya said she was the Student Council Prez so I just took a chance and decided to check the Student Council room. What are the odds?" Shinichi was of course leaving out the fact that it had taken him quite a while to find the Student Council room. Shinichi gave Michiko a once over. "Yep, you're definitely the hanging girl alright. Seeing you alive is kind of surreal. Now that I've gotten a good look at you, you're actually pretty cute." Shinichi was standing right in front of Michiko, but she was not aware of his presence at all. "Now tell me, what's got you all depressed?"

"…" Michiko silently stared at the floor.

"Geez, this would be so much easier if I could just talk to you about these things," Shinichi said with an added sigh. Just then, the door to the room opened and another girl walked in. Shinichi didn't know it at first, but this was Takuya's cousin, and the Student Council Vice President, Fuyumi Miyazaki. Shinichi stared at the new girl in silence. He saw that she was carrying two bottled waters and some bread with her.

"Senpai, it's lunch time now. I didn't know if you were that hungry, so I just stopped by the school store and picked up some bread and water," Fuyumi said gently to Michiko.

"…" Michiko looked up at Fuyumi but she didn't reply.

Fuyumi walked over to Michiko and sat down in the chair beside her. Then she handed one of the bottled waters to Michiko. "Here you should at least drink something, Senpai. It'll calm your nerves."

Michiko hesitated before accepting the bottled water. Then she opened it and drank some of the water. And then she sighed. "Thank you, Miyazaki-chan."

"Miyazaki?" Shinichi repeated the name. Then his eyes widened as insight took him. "Oh, this must be Takuya's cousin."

"Senpai, are you going to just spend the rest of the day sitting here in silence?" Fuyumi asked out of concern. "I think it might be better if you go back to your dorm room and get some rest."

Michiko shook her head. "I don't feel like sleeping. If I went back to my room and laid down I'm not sure I could get any sleep even if I tried. There's too much on my mind right now. I have to prepare for the orchestra club's big music venue in less than two weeks, and then Hirabayashi-senpai's coming back tomorrow and I don't even know what I'm going to say to him yet, and then there's the endless rumors and slander that's being caused by Yousha Unmasked, and now someone I knew…a member of my own club…I've just found out that they're gone and it's all my fault!" Tears started streaming down Michiko's face. "I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!" Michiko held her head in her hands and didn't hold back the tears any longer.

Fuyumi let Michiko cry it out and sat silently, she figured it was best for Michiko to not bottle up her feelings so much. After a few minutes of sobbing, Michiko calmed down and dried her eyes. "I'm sorry for showing you all that, Miyazaki-chan."

"You don't need to apologize, Senpai. When you lose someone, crying is the healthy thing to do. After my parents passed away, I cried non-stop for weeks," Fuyumi replied. Then she sighed. "From the sound of it, you and Iwasaki-san were rather close. Was she a good friend of yours?"

Michiko sadly chuckled and shook her head. "No, not really. In fact, the only times I ever really talked to her were at school and during club practice. But there was just something about her that was really special. It's sort of hard to describe, but she was like a piece of the life of our club. She was one of our best musicians, she practically led the strings section of our orchestra, and all of the first years idolized her. She told me that when she first joined the club she was going to do whatever it took to become a professional violist. And with her talent and dedication I was sure that she would succeed and reach her goal. She loved playing the viola more than anything, if you saw her play yourself that would've been made abundantly clear. And when she wasn't playing herself, she was helping out the other club members who were having problems and giving them advice. In a way, she might've been a better senpai than I could ever be."

"Senpai, you're too hard on yourself. Everyone looks up to you and admires the work you do for this school. If you weren't around, every single one of us would be completely lost," Fuyumi replied.

Michiko sighed. "Even if that's true for the Student Council, what about the orchestra?"

"…" Fuyumi was silent.

"Truth be told; I find it hard sometimes to even remember everyone who's in the club. And when the kouhai come to me after practice and ask me all sorts of questions on how they can improve I kind of just brush them off and tell them to keep practicing and that it will come naturally to them. I found myself busy with so many other things that I don't think I ever really took the time to listen to each one of their concerns. Maybe that's why I didn't notice how Iwasaki-chan was really doing. I guess without even meaning to, I prioritized all my other responsibilities over orchestra, huh?" Michiko scoffed. "And I call myself the president of the club?"

"You have a lot on your plate, Senpai. You can't blame yourself for not being there every time something goes wrong. You're the busiest member of the Student Council and you're also pretty much the only one in here that even makes the time for extracurriculars. If anything, you should give yourself some credit for loving the orchestra club so much that you even try to find time for it. You can't blame yourself for what Iwasaki-san did. And I don't think she would blame you either," Fuyumi replied.

Michiko scoffed again. "I don't even know why Iwasaki-chan would do such a thing. All this time, I thought I knew who she was but it turns out I didn't really know her at all."

"People who contemplate things like that, sometimes they're not really open with their troubles. They keep all the pain bottled up deep inside and never let it show, until it becomes too much for them to bare anymore. With people like that, you can't help them unless they want to be helped. You tried your best, Senpai. But sometimes, you can't save everyone. You're only one person after all," Fuyumi replied.

"…" Michiko was silent for a few moments as she contemplated everything Fuyumi said. "Miyazaki-chan, thank you. You really know how to talk to people. I know you're going to be a great Student Council President when I'm gone."

"Senpai, that's nice of you to say, but you know I have to be elected first, right?" Fuyumi replied with an added sweatdrop.

"That's not going to be a problem, you'll win for sure, hands down," Michiko replied. "Now then, what do you say we go ahead and eat the bread that you went through all the trouble of buying for me? After that, I'm going to head back to the club room and check on Yamasato-chan. I'm going to work harder to be more involved in the club for Iwasaki-chan's sake. The least I can do for her is honor her memory by making sure others following in her footsteps become great musicians as well."

"Sometimes, you can be really awesome, Senpai," Fuyumi replied.

"Eh?! Only sometimes?!" Michiko exclaimed.

Shinichi stroked his chin as he thought about all that he had heard. "Another girl died, eh? Could this somehow be related with what's going to happen to the Prez? Either way, I should let Takuya know about it when I meet up with him later." After finishing off her bread and water, Michiko said goodbye to Fuyumi and headed off to arts and clubs building, not knowing that Shinichi was following her the whole time.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Evening**

Upon returning to his dorm room, Takuya found that Shinichi had not yet returned. With nothing else to do Takuya decided that it was as good a time as any to start unpacking his things and finish moving in. It took a few hours but soon Takuya's room was clear of all traces of cardboard boxes. His clothes were now hanging up in his closet, his books and manga were now neatly shelved, his TV and gaming system were installed and placed on a small dresser that was to the right of his desk which currently housed his laptop, and the rest of his items and knick-knacks were placed throughout his room in their respective areas. His dorm room had actually started to like his own bedroom. "Wow, I didn't realize how much junk I had brought with me from home. It's probably a good thing that I don't have a roommate, I wouldn't have had nearly as much space." He checked his phone. "Whoa it's almost 18:00!" he exclaimed. "I didn't realize how much time had passed." As if almost on cue, his stomach growled. "And I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. I think it's time for a nice, well deserved dinner."

Then Takuya's phone vibrated, signaling that someone had just sent him a text message. Takuya checked his recent messages and saw that his cousin, Fuyumi, had just sent him one. It read: _I heard your meeting with grandfather went well. You should consider yourself lucky he didn't suspend you on the spot for that stunt you pulled yesterday._

Takuya sighed. "I was thinking the same thing. Why does she have to say it like I didn't learn anything from my actions?" he asked himself. Then he read the rest of the message: _I'm done with my personal errands for the day so do you want to get some dinner together at the dining hall? I have your class schedule with me as well, so you might as well agree so you can come and pick it up._

Takuya sighed again. "I don't really have a choice in the matter then do I?" Then he replied: _Yeah, that sounds good. I was getting hungry anyway._ "And send." Then a few moments later he received a reply from Fuyumi that read: _Great, I'll come pick you up at your dorm room in twenty minutes then. You better be ready to go when I get there._

Takuya put his phone back in his pocket. "She almost makes it sound like a date. Oh well, guess I better go wash up." Takuya exited his room and closed the door behind him, and then he came face to face with the occupant of the room across the hallway from him. He also appeared to be just heading out. Takuya immediately recognized the boy in question, it was the mysterious silver-haired boy who was wearing the odd garb befitting of a samurai. Takuya and the silver-haired boy locked eyes and for a few moments, neither of them said a word. "Oh hey there, looks like we're neighbors too," Takuya finally said, breaking the ice.

"…" again the silver-haired boy refused to reply.

"Umm, again my name's Takuya Miyazaki. I'm a transfer student here, it's nice to meet you," Takuya replied.

"…" again, no response.

"Umm, now's usually the part of the conversation where you introduce yourself," Takuya replied.

The silver-haired boy sighed and shook his head. "I really don't see how this matters, but if you must know my name, it's Tenshi."

Takuya was confused. "Tenshi?" he repeated. "Angel?" Then he chuckled. "Okay, very funny. Now tell me your real name."

"You asked, I answered. It's as simple as that. Anything else, doesn't really matter," the boy named Tenshi replied before walking down the hall and leaving Takuya even more confused than before.

"He sure is a friendly guy," said a familiar voice.

"Shinichi?" Takuya replied as he turned around to see the ghost boy.

"Hi," Shinichi replied as he waved and smiled.

"When did you get here?" Takuya asked.

"When you first started talking to that Tenshi guy. He seemed interesting so I thought I would stick around and hear what he had to say with you. But looks like he's not really forthcoming, eh?" Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed. "Never mind him, how did it go with Endou-senpai? Did you learn anymore about her from keeping an eye on her?"

"Not much, I found her in the Student Council room and she talked with your cousin a little bit, and then after that she head out to the arts and clubs building and found the note that Ayuka left her about the cleaning. And then after that she just walked around campus working on odd jobs or doing favors for students or faculty. So I guess just typical Student Council work for the most part," Shinichi explained.

"And you didn't see anyone acting hostile towards her, or anyone who seemed to be watching her a little too closely? Besides you, I mean?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi shook his head. "No, there wasn't anyone like that. She did talk to someone on the phone though. I think it was someone named Yurika. Does that ring a bell?"

Takuya shook his head. "No that's just Owari, she's the vice president of the orchestra club and the two of them are friends."

"That makes sense, the two of them were talking about club activities and a boy, after all," Shinichi replied.

"So nothing new to report at all?" Takuya asked.

"There was one thing, but I'm not sure if it's related to her murder," Shinichi replied. "Apparently a girl in the orchestra club committed suicide last night. The Prez said her name was Iwasaki. Do you know anyone by that name?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, I've never heard of her. That's pretty awful though. What are the odds? A suicide and a murder are supposed to happen so close together."

"It does sound pretty sketchy, right? But it might just be nothing after all," Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed. "Great, so after a full day of investigation we have absolutely nothing. And on the Yanasai front, we have even more nothing. What a fine first day as Reapers we're having."

"Well I wouldn't say we have nothing on the latter. This is his room, right?" Shinichi asked as he pointed to the room next to Takuya. "We could always check inside it for clues."

"I don't know; I get this is an emergency and all, but it still seems kind of bad to rummage through his room without permission. Besides, it's locked. How are we even going to get in?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi snickered. "Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" He walked backwards to the door and then suddenly he phased through it as if it wasn't even there.

"Oh right, ghost powers," Takuya replied.

Shinichi phased his head through the door. "Come on, admit it. You're a little jealous that you can't do this too." Then Shinichi phased his head back through the door. A few moments later, Takuya could hear the lock click from inside Ryuta's room, and then the next moment Shinichi opened the door for Takuya to come inside. "After you, good sir."

Takuya sighed. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a peek." Having convinced himself, Takuya entered Ryuta's room and closed the door behind him. Takuya took note of the general layout of Ryuta's room. Ryuta had the same color carpeting and walls that Takuya's room had, which made Takuya think that was the standard for the boys' dorm rooms. Ryuta also had all the same general furniture Takuya had in his room, but they were placed in different spaces, and the knick-knacks Ryuta had on his shelves were different as well. There were also a few posters hanging here and there, including a few of popular bands, and in the back corner Takuya saw that Ryuta had an acoustic guitar that was placed in a stand. "Huh, he must play guitar," said Takuya. Then he noted that most of Ryuta's floor was covered in old clothes. "And his cleanliness level is a little sub-par. Maybe he's a musician like Ayuka? Though the rock n' roll kind most likely," said Takuya. The truth was he didn't know that much about Ryuta Yanasai at all, and yet somehow Ryuta had become wrapped up in the insanity of Limbo just like him.

Shinichi was currently busying himself by looking underneath Ryuta's bed. "I don't see any drugs anywhere, so I think it's safe to say he wasn't living the full rock n' roll lifestyle." Shinichi pulled himself out from under the bed. "Do you think there might be something on his computer that can tell us more about him?"

Takuya looked over to Ryuta's desk and saw that he had a desktop computer set up on it. "Worth a shot," Takuya replied as he walked over to Ryuta's desk and sat down at his swivel chair. Takuya shimmied the computer's mouse and the monitor turned on, showing a lock screen. "Of course, we need a password to get into it." Takuya typed in something random and then hit enter, and he was not even remotely surprised when his guess was wrong. Luckily, Ryuta's password hint appeared on the screen. "Okay, hold on this is promising. For his password hint he wrote, most important person in my life. So that could be a family member or a friend. Look around and see if there's any photos, or letters, or anything like that."

Shinichi noticed a framed photograph on one of Ryuta's shelves. It held a picture of a younger looking Ryuta with a girl who appeared to be about his age. Shinichi removed the photograph from the shelf and handed it to Takuya. "What about this? She could be his girlfriend or something, right? They seem pretty close." Takuya got a close look at the photograph in question and saw that Ryuta was wearing another school's uniform and he appeared to be somewhat younger than he was now.

"This must have been taken when he was still in middle school," Takuya replied. Then he got a close look at the girl in the photo with Ryuta. She had honey-colored hair and bright violet eyes identical to those of Ryuta's. Her hair was shoulder-length and tied into a pony tail, with some strands of hair running down the sides of her face and partially covering her ears. She was wearing the same uniform as Ryuta, but she appeared to be at least a foot shorter than him. And when this photo was taken, Ryuta was smiling bashfully while the girl had her right arm wrapped around Ryuta and was flashing a peace sign to the camera with her other hand. Takuya smiled at the photo. "The two of them seem really close, but she looks a little younger than him to be his girlfriend, plus she has the same color eyes as him. This must be his sister."

"Did he mention having a sister to you?" Shinichi asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, but she might have the information we're looking for. If possible we should try giving her a call."

"I didn't see a phone anywhere when I was looking around, so Yanasai must have it with him. It'll be tough getting in contact with her when we don't have her phone number," Shinichi replied.

"Well I think it's a safe bet that this girl is his password," Takuya replied. "Now if only we had her name." Takuya turned the photograph over and stared at the back of the frame. "I wonder if…" Takuya opened up the back of the frame and removed the photograph from it. Then he examined the back of the photograph and saw that there was writing on the back of it. "Aha, so something was written on the back of it." The photograph's inscription read:

 _My first day of middle school. You've always been there for me Onii-chan, and I know you always will be._

 _\- Love, Natsu_

"Natsu. That's her name," Takuya replied.

"Well don't just sit there, type it in," Shinichi replied.

Takuya nodded and then typed Natsu's name into Ryuta's computer and then hit enter, and to his joy Ryuta's computer unlocked and the last thing that Ryuta was looking at popped up onto the screen. "Yes, we're in. It looks like the last thing he was working on was updating a digital calendar." To Takuya's surprise Ryuta had written detailed notes of his classes for each day and what day assignments were due. "Huh, he's surprisingly very studious." Then he checked a recent entry that Ryuta made. "Wait, here's something. It's a note for today." Takuya read what he saw on the calendar. " _New semester equals new shift. Starting today, be at Yoshiaki's from 11:00 to 18:00, every Sunday. And then every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 15:00 to 18:00._ " There was also an entry made for tomorrow. " _Be sure to talk to Kirishima and make sure she doesn't mind doing cleaning duty by herself. Don't just blow her off._ "

"It looks like we have a new lead. Yanasai has a part-time job, and according to his calendar he was supposed to be there for his shift today," said Takuya.

"Any idea where?" Shinichi replied.

"He works at some place called Yoshiaki's," Takuya replied. "I've never heard of it."

"Sounds like a restaurant, we can try and look it up later. Maybe someone who works there will know where he could've gone," Shinichi replied.

Then Takuya and Shinichi heard an alarming sound, someone was knocking on the door. But it wasn't Ryuta's door, it was coming from next door. "Takuya! Are you ready yet?!" someone exclaimed.

"I know that voice," Takuya said in a terrified tone. "Fuyumi."

"Your cousin?" Shinichi replied.

"She's here to pick me up for dinner, but if she sees me coming out of Yanasai's room it'll raise all sorts of questions," Takuya whispered.

"Oh I see, that's quite a pickle. Hmm…" Then Shinichi's eyes widened with insight. "I've got a crazy idea, but I think it might just work. Grab my hand." Shinichi extended his right hand to Takuya.

"What are you talking about?" Takuya replied.

"Come on, we'll never know if we don't try. Just trust me on this," Shinichi replied. Takuya hesitated before accepting Shinichi's hand. Then Shinichi pulled Takuya up out of the swivel chair and turned to face the wall that separated Ryuta's dorm room from Takuya's. "Now hang on tight, we wouldn't want you getting stuck in the wall," said Shinichi.

"Wait, what?!" Takuya exclaimed. Without another word, Shinichi ran towards the wall and then dragged Takuya behind him. Takuya thought for sure that they were going to crash into the wall but to his amazement, a few moments later they appeared in Takuya's room. Takuya released Shinichi's hand in a panic and then frantically touched his body, making sure that he was all still in one piece. When he was satisfied that this was the case, he looked at Shinichi. "Did…did we just…?"

"Go through the wall, yep. This is amazing, I've always wondered if I could do it but now I know for sure. Anyone I touch while phasing through a solid object can phase through with me," Shinichi replied in an excited tone.

"So I actually just went through a wall? Wow, that's something else." Takuya didn't even know how to react. Of all the weird things that he seen so far today, this was only slightly abnormal, but at the same time it was weird in its own right.

Fuyumi knocked again on Takuya's door again and brought him back to reality. "Takuya! Are you even in there?! Answer me!"

"Umm, I'm here. Sorry, I must have dozed off while I was waiting for you," Takuya replied as he went to answer the door. He opened the door for Fuyumi, and she walked into his room without a second thought.

"Honestly, it's always something with you." Fuyumi gave the room a once over. "Not bad though, I'm glad to see your afternoon was productive at least. So are you ready to go get dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah, almost. I just have to grab my phone and room key," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi sighed. "Well go and get them, I don't have all day," she said and then she left the room to wait for Takuya in the hallway.

Takuya looked back at Shinichi. "We'll talk about everything some more when I get back," Takuya whispered so Fuyumi wouldn't hear him. "Until then, please just stay here. No more wandering around."

Shinichi groaned. "Fine, I'll be patient and wait."

"Good boy," Takuya replied in a whisper.

"I already told you, I'm not a freaking dog!" Shinichi shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Takuya simply replied while gathering his things. Then he exited his room and locked the door behind him before going off to dinner with his cousin.

Meanwhile, Shinichi was left all alone in Takuya's room. "Now what? I already said I wouldn't wander off. What am I supposed to do while I wait here for him to come back?" he asked himself. Then his eyes spied Takuya's game console. "Huh, I wonder, do I even like video games?" It's not like Shinichi could remember if he did or not, but he decided to give them a try none the less.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Evening**

Ayuka opened her eyes several hours later and found herself sprawled out on her living room floor. She rubbed her eyes and then sat up on the floor. "I must have fallen asleep," she said to herself. Then her eyes spied her family's grand piano, which was still littered with the remains of her glass of grape juice that she threw at it earlier. Ayuka looked around. "Doesn't look like mom and dad are back yet. I better clean this up before they find out what happened. I don't want to worry them." Ayuka got up off the floor and went to get a broom, dustpan, and other cleaning supplies.

About twenty minutes later, Ayuka had picked up every shard of glass and had cleaned every spot of the piano that was sticky with grape juice. "There all done," she said to herself. "Oh wait." Ayuka saw that the drawer on the side of the piano where the music sheets were kept was open, it looked like a little bit of grape juice had gotten inside there as well. Ayuka opened the drawer and pulled out the top piece of sheet music that was stained with juice. Then her eyes widened when she saw what song the sheet music was for. "This is…!" It was for an original composition written by Benzo. Ayuka had never even heard it. Benzo wanted it to be a surprise for Ayuka, so he told her that she couldn't listen to it until it was completely finished. However, Benzo only completed it after he found himself too weak to play the piano due to his condition, so to this day it had never been played.

"So this is where he was keeping it? I should've known," Ayuka said to herself as she sadly laughed. She shook her head. "Oh Benzo, now that you're gone no one will ever be able to hear this. I bet it would've been wonderful, even for your first piece." She smiled. "I was so lucky to have you as a brother." She brought the music sheet closer to her chest and wrapped it up in her arms. "I miss you so much every day. I…I don't know if I can go on like this much longer." Tears began to stream down her face again. "Why? Why did you…?" Ayuka realized that it was useless to ask. "That's right, you're dead. You can't answer my questions even if you wanted to." Ayuka got a glimpse of the title of Benzo's song underneath a large juice stain. It was just three words: _My_ _Dear Sister_. Ayuka scoffed. "No matter how hard I try to move on, you just keep pulling me back in. Do you hate me that much, Benzo? Do you want me to be miserable for the rest of my life? All because I couldn't do what you asked me to? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was too much of a coward. You were much braver than I am."

She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. "Even if you died hating me, just know I still love you." Then she scoffed again. "What am I doing? I'm not talking to anyone right now. You're not here, I know that. So why do I keep wishing that you were? I'm such a bad sister, aren't I?"

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Late Evening**

Takuya enjoyed a nice dinner with his cousin at the dining hall before returning to his dorm room, his class schedule in hand. And upon re-entering his dorm room he found a very odd sight. Shinichi was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, and he appeared to be playing a video game in a very intense manner. He was furiously mashing at the buttons while his eyes were glued to Takuya's TV's screen. Shinichi was so invested in the game that he hadn't even noticed Takuya enter the room. "I'm back," Takuya replied.

"Oh hi," Shinichi said without looking away from the screen.

Takuya looked over Shinichi's shoulder to see which of his games Shinichi was playing. He recognized it to be _Street Brawler VI: Eternal Fist_ , the latest release in a long-time franchise of brawling and fighting games. Shinichi was currently playing as the character Spectro, who ironically was a ghost brought back from the dead. "I didn't know you liked video games," said Takuya.

"Neither did I, until about an hour ago," Shinichi replied. And just as Shinichi finished speaking he ended the fight his character was in with an overkill knock out. "I especially like this one, it's really entertaining. Spectro's my favorite character by far. Hey, do you want to play against me now? I'm kind of sick of beating the CPU."

"I'll pass," Takuya replied. "I'm not in the mood." Takuya laid down on his bed and then stared at Shinichi as he prepared for another fight against the CPU. "So how long are you planning on playing anyway?"

"Well, I don't need to sleep, so I was thinking of playing through the night if you didn't mind," Shinichi replied.

"Yes of course I mind!" Takuya exclaimed. "I've got school tomorrow!"

Shinichi groaned. "Fine, one more round after this and then I'm done." And so for the next few minutes the only sounds that could be heard in the room were that of Shinichi's furious button mashing, and the sound effects being produced by the video game. " _Savage K.O. Winner!_ " an announcer voice from the video game exclaimed.

"And that makes thirty wins in a row!" Shinichi exclaimed in victory. "On the hardest difficulty level I might add," he said as he looked to Takuya.

"I'm guessing you've played this game before," Takuya replied.

Shinichi shrugged his shoulder. "Who can say? I can't remember anything about my past life at all, remember?" Shinichi saved his game and then turned off the game console and TV. Then he turned to Takuya. "Alright, now let's get down to business. What's the game plan for tomorrow?"

"I have to attend classes starting tomorrow, so from here on out I'm only going to be able to devote my full attention to things after school or on the weekends. So I'm counting on you to do the legwork at times, partner," Takuya replied.

Shinichi nodded. "Got it, while you're in class I'll do my best to keep an eye out for the Prez. Then after school we can meet up and continue our investigation into Yanasai. I got to tell you, I'm feeling pretty confident about all of this," Shinichi said in a positive tone. "We're going to save the both of them for sure, along with anyone else who gets involved in this." Then he sighed. "Well it's getting late, so I guess I'll go and let you get ready for bed."

"What are you talking about? You're staying here aren't you?" Takuya asked.

"Eh?" Shinichi was confused. "You mean, you don't mind if I sleep here with you for the night?"

"I don't mind if you sleep here indefinitely, if you want," Takuya replied. "I was looking forward to having a roommate anyway, and it's not like you're going to take up that much space. You're a ghost after all."

"Huh, you think most people would be reluctant to share their home with a ghost, right?" Shinichi replied.

"It's up to you though. If you think you're better off on your own, then I'll just see you tomorrow," Takuya replied. "No hard feelings."

"…" Shinichi was silent at first as he contemplated what to do. Then he nodded and replied, "Alright, I'm in. Consider me your new roommate. I hope we get along roomie." He flashed a big smile at Takuya.

Takuya sweatdropped. "I feel like I'm regretting this decision already."

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Night**

In preparation for going to bed, Takuya did his usual night time routine of brushing his teeth and changing into some loose fitting clothes. Then afterwards, he pulled out a sleeping bag that he had brought from his home and rolled it out onto the floor, and then he grabbed one of the pillows from his bed and put it top of the sleeping bag. "I hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"Nah, I don't mind. But to tell you the truth I might not need to use it," Shinichi replied. Then all of a sudden he began to float up off the ground.

"You can fly too, eh?" Takuya replied.

"Nah, just hover. And not really that far off the ground either. The point is if it gets too uncomfortable sleeping on the floor I can always just lay down on the air. See." Shinichi flipped his body so he was parallel to the floor and then stretched his arms out behind his head. "Cozy."

"Well if you do decide to do that, just make sure you don't make the sleeping bag or pillow float with you. It would be troubling if someone happened to catch a glimpse of that," Takuya replied.

"Good point," Shinichi replied as he lowered himself back down to the ground and onto the sleeping bag.

"So you're just going to sleep in those clothes?" Takuya asked.

"I can't take them off. It must be a ghost thing that we always have to wear the outfit we died in. But it's not that big of a deal, they never get dirty and to be honest I can't really feel them at all. It's almost like they're a part of my actual body," Shinichi replied.

"Interesting," Takuya said half-heartedly as he turned off the lights and then crawled into bed. Then after a few moments he resumed the conversation. "So you can't really feel things, like no sensations at all?"

"I know I can feel pain for sure, but if you're asking me if I feel things like cold or heat, or anything like that, then the answer's no," Shinichi replied.

"I know you don't need to sleep, because you told me as much, but does that mean you don't require other bodily necessities either? Like eating?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

"I've tried eating before just to confirm things. I thought at first that the food would just pass right through me since it was completely corporeal but instead it just vanished as soon as I swallowed it. For all I know it disappeared into another dimension or something," he said with a light chuckle. "But what really got to me, was the fact that I couldn't taste what I was eating at all. That's probably one of the things I hate most about being a ghost. I don't need food to survive, but I can't eat for enjoyment either because I can't taste anything. It's the same with sleeping. Even if I close my eyes, I can't dream or anything. I just see darkness, empty darkness."

Sensing Shinichi's unease, Takuya decided to comfort him. Takuya turned over in his bed and looked directly at Shinichi. "Hey, you're not alone anymore. You know that, right?"

Shinichi looked up at Takuya. "Yeah, I know. I'm really glad that I met you. And from here on out, I think life as a ghost won't be so bad. Because I have a friend like you by my side to cheer me up when things look their darkest." Shinichi lightly chuckled. "I wonder if I had a good friend like you when I was still alive?"

"Well it's not like it really matters, the point is you have one now," Takuya replied.

Shinichi smiled. "Yeah," he simply replied.

Then all of a sudden, an image of a tarot card flashed in Takuya's head. The card turned over and revealed itself to be No. XIII, Death. Then a mysterious voice rang out in Takuya's head.

 _I am thou, thou art I…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond._

 _It shall guide thee in thy journey to restore balance_

 _to the unseen world and thine own heart._

 _With the birth of the Death Persona, thou hast gained_

 _knowledge of what lies beyond the lines of mortality._

 _New power awaits thee beyond the door._

 _Don't be afraid to open it._

 **Shinichi Soul Link established.**

 **Arcana: Death – Rank 1.**

Takuya blinked a few times before his vision settled and he came back to his senses. It seemed that Shinichi had not noticed what had just happened to him. 'What was that just now? I feel really exhausted all of a sudden,' Takuya thought to himself. Takuya yawned. "I'm getting kind of tired. I guess I should go ahead and get some sleep. I've got a big day tomorrow, well the both of us do actually. Good night, Shinichi." Takuya turned over in his bed and faced the opposite direction.

Shinichi stared at Takuya's backside before closing his eyes. "Night, Takuya."

Takuya was confused by the events that had just transpired, but he hardly had the time to process them, because almost as soon as he closed his eyes he fell into a deep, deep sleep.

* * *

 **Sunday, 4/12 20XX, Night**

Takuya opened his eyes and found himself in a very familiar fancy lounge. The windows were draped in billowing blue curtains, and the floor was made up of a beautiful blue carpet. A crystal chandelier hung up overhead, and a fireplace stove stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by giant comfy-looking blue chairs which were the size of couches. Takuya recognized this place as the mysterious Velvet Room that he had visited the night before last. He was surprised to see that he had returned here but after a few moments that surprise was replaced with peace. The Velvet Room had a very comforting atmosphere about it, the warm fireplace roaring in the middle of the room, the soft and comfy chairs, and even the light ambient music that could be heard playing from the intercom overhead. So Takuya decided to sit back and relax while he sat there in the Velvet Room alone. He did find it odd however, that the mysterious, bubbly girl he had encountered here before, Samantha, was nowhere to be found. "She and Igor must have brought me here for some reason," Takuya said to himself. "I wonder where she is."

Then all of a sudden, a loud, unbearable squeaking sound broke the peaceful atmosphere of the Velvet Room. Takuya covered his ears in a desperate attempt to block out the horrible noise. "Ugh, what is that?! It sounds like someone's scraping a rusty nail across a chalkboard!" The sound kept getting closer and closer, and louder and louder, until finally it stopped much to Takuya's relief. And then he heard the sound of someone pulling back a curtain. Takuya looked behind him to the blue velvet curtain that separated the Velvet Room's first class section from the coach section. And he saw a large trolley cart that held lots of different kinds of refreshments, and pushing that trolley cart was a young boy who appeared to be in elementary school. The boy reminded Takuya a lot of Samantha, he wore a typical flight attendant's outfit that was all blue, from his hat to his shoes just like her. And he also wore a pair of blue gloves as well. And he also had white porcelain skin, diamond-like blue eyes, and blonde hair. However, unlike Samantha his hair was neat and tidy, and a single bang of it fell over his left eye.

The boy simply stared at Takuya before breaking the silence and speaking. "Sorry about the noise. It's been ages since the wheels on this thing were last oiled," he said in a mature-sounding voice. Then he pushed the cart into the first class section of the Velvet Room and let the squeaky wheels ring out before he finally stopped the cart right next to Takuya. The boy turned to face Takuya and stood at attention in a sort of butler-ish manner, even going so far as to cross his right arm over his chest and put his left arm behind his back. "Welcome to the Velvet Room's Interdimensional Air Travel Service. Due to severe complications, our flight has been delayed indefinitely and the Captain's not quite sure when we'll be able to take off again. May I interest you in some refreshments while you wait?" the boy asked as he motioned to his cart. "We have inflight peanuts and other salty snacks, as well as home-made cookies and other deliciously sweet desserts. Our drinks for today include special tea brewed fresh by yours truly, coffee and any variation thereof, soft drinks, and of course ice-cold bottled water."

"Umm, no thanks. I'm good, I just ate a little while ago," Takuya replied in a confused tone.

The boy bowed. "No problem at all, sir. It is my duty as a Velvet Room Attendant to attend to each and every need of our guests. No pun intended."

"A Velvet Room Attendant? You mean like Samantha? You're like her?" Takuya replied.

"Ah, I see you've already had the pleasure of meeting my dear elder sister. Yes, she and I maintain this version of the Velvet Room," the boy replied.

"This version? Wait, do you mean there's more than one?" Takuya asked.

"Why of course, the Velvet Room has had many guests in the past. And each guest sees the Velvet Room in a different way, and the Attendants assigned to the Velvet Room always differ. The only constant is the Master, as the Velvet Room is his domain," the boy explained.

"You mean Igor?" Takuya asked, to which the boy nodded in reply. "Alright, so then who are you?"

"My name is Alphonse, and I am one of the youngest Attendants," the boy replied. Then he smiled in glee. "This is actually my first official assignment so I'm rather excited, please forgive my over eagerness, sir."

"Okay first of all, knock it off with that 'sir' nonsense. Just call me Takuya," Takuya replied.

"Very well, if that is what you wish. From now on I shall be more formal with you," Alphonse replied.

"Alright Alphonse, now tell me where's your sister and Igor?" Takuya asked.

Then Takuya heard a good-natured cackle come from behind the cockpit door at the back end of the room. The cockpit door opened and Samantha and Igor were revealed to be hiding in the cockpit. "Why, we never left, my boy," said Igor. He was the same as Takuya remembered him. He was an old man with an incredibly long nose. He had gray hair on the sides of his head and wore a creepy looking smile on his face. He wore an all black suit with coat tails and a pair of white gloves, similar to a traditional butler outfit. He also wore a blue pilot's cap with a pair of golden wings pinned on to it. "We were simply concealing our presence."

"Like, sorry Takuya-kun. We didn't mean to trick you or anything, like, Ally just insisted on meeting you one on one since we left him out of your visit last time," said Samantha. She was the same as Takuya remembered her as well. She wore an outfit that matched Alphonse's. And she had blonde hair that was tied back into twin tails, that were held up by two blue scrunches with a cat pin on each of them, white porcelain skin, and diamond-like blue eyes. You could easily tell that she and Alphonse were related.

"Sister, you don't have to tell him that," Alphonse replied in an embarrassed tone.

Samantha walked up to her brother and lifted up his hat, and then she lovingly ruffled Alphonse's hair. "Oh it's okay, Ally. Like you said, you're just excited about your first job as an Attendant. That's like, nothing to be embarrassed about." Then she lazily put Alphonse's hat back onto his head.

Alphonse adjusted his hat until it was in its correct position, and then he smiled at Takuya. "Though I must admit, it is like Sister says. I'm looking forward to being your helpful Attendant, Takuya."

Takuya smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"Young Alphonse shall be a very important aid in your future endeavors," said Igor.

"That's right, like, Ally's going to be in charge of fusion," Samantha added.

Alphonse gasped. "Sister, you know better than to reveal things that guests aren't aware of!" Alphonse exclaimed. "As Attendants, it's our job to aid guests on their journey, not guide them. Takuya must find his own path."

"What's this all about fusion?" Takuya asked.

"Pay that word no mind for now, you're not quite ready for it yet. But at the rate you are maturing, I'd say it's only a matter of time before you are," Igor replied. "For now, let us talk about the reasons we have summoned you here tonight. Meeting young Alphonse was just one of a few. First of all, …" Igor waved his hand in the air and then he clenched it, and then suddenly a clipboard appeared in the clenched hand. Then he showed Takuya the clipboard, as well as the contract that was attached to it. "I believe today's events have proven that you are indeed worthy to undertake the task before you. You have awoken to the power of Persona, just like so many gifted children of man before you. Along with that, you've also awoken to the powers of a Grim Reaper, a being of pure neutrality. Now both darkness and light are at your command, use them well in the coming task of restoring your world's balance. Just as the contract states, I as well as my servants shall be at your disposal and you may use the Velvet Room however you see fit. Samantha." Igor looked to Samantha, and she nodded in reply.

Then she approached Takuya and presented him with a blue key attached to a key ring with a mask shaped pedant on it, and Takuya graciously accepted it. "This is the key to the Velvet Room. With it in hand, whenever you, like, see the door to our realm you may return here."

Takuya gripped the key tightly in his hand. "How will I know when I see the door?"

"Trust us, you'll know," Samantha replied.

Igor waved his hand again and the clipboard, and the contract attached to it, disappeared. "Now then, on to the next reason we summoned you here tonight." Igor made a round table with a blue tablecloth appear in front of him and then made his signature deck of tarot cards appear. Then he shuffled the deck by hand and placed it on the table, and then he drew the first card from the deck and placed it on the table, facing Takuya. It was No. XIII, Death. "While the Velvet Room will certainly aid you on your quest, it is not the only means by which you can gain further power. It has been foretold by the cards that you will meet several unique individuals that possess the same potential as you. I believe you have already met a few of these such individuals, however you have only established a true bond with one so far. The young spirit who has made himself known to you, even though he is no longer part of the world of the living he has proven himself worthy of the power of Persona and like you has become a Grim Reaper. His power will surely be a great asset to you, but you must know that his power does not simply end there. There is another way to unlock his true power, and at the same time strengthen your own."

Takuya thought back to that strange occurrence that happened earlier in the night, when he heard the mysterious voice and the Death tarot card flashed through his mind. "Are you talking about what happened before I went to sleep? That voice, it said something about the power of the Death Persona being available to me now." Now that Takuya thought about it, he was sure he recognized that voice. And then it came to him, it was the voice of the blue butterfly. "The blue butterfly. I'm sure that was who said it. Do you guys know about it?"

Igor chuckled. "It appears that you are being sought out by a higher power. One who is far beyond our realm. I should tell you, though the Velvet Room has the power to aid those gifted with the special potential required to summon a Persona, Personas do not originate from here. They were created by a being who is on a higher plane of existence than both you and I, a being who has been lost to the ages. Though it is said, that when this being appears in your world it takes on the form of a blue butterfly. It appears that this being has decided to aid you as well, you should consider yourself lucky. It has been quite some time since it is has had this much of an influence in your world. Usually, it is simply watching from afar, and it only appears to bless a holder of the Wild Card with their unique power. But enough about that for now, allow me to explain the meaning behind the being's words. Usually each person is blessed with a certain arcana upon their birth. The arcana they are given describes their personality and behavior to a T. However, for those who are blessed with the Fool arcana, things are slightly different. Given the opportunity, holders of the Wild Card can borrow the power of different arcana and make it their own. To achieve this, the holder of the Wild Card must form a bond with those who hold different arcana. When you establish a true connection with such a person, a certain link is formed between your soul and theirs. A Soul Link, if you will. You felt your connection to the young spirit earlier, did you not?"

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, I did feel something. So that's what that was? A Soul Link?"

"In this case you have connected your soul to that of a holder of the Death arcana." Igor drew another card from the tarot deck and placed it next to the Death card. It was No. 0, the Fool. "Now the two arcana of Fool and Death are connected, and as you grow closer to the spirit and learn more and more about each other this connection will keep growing until an unbreakable bond is finally formed. And this is the case for others you become connected to as well. Collecting the different arcana, and forming unbreakable bonds with others, this will be of great aid to you on your quest as well." Then Igor drew eight more cards from the deck and placed them next to the Death and Fool cards. The other cards were as follows. No. VII, Chariot. No. XIV, Temperance. No XI, Strength. No. III, the Empress. No. II, the Priestess. No. XII, the Hanged Man. No. XVI, Tower. And finally No. XV, the Devil. "And like Death, these eight arcana shall be especially beneficial to the Fool. Though as to their identities, I'm afraid the cards are not ready to reveal them yet. So you will be tasked with finding these remaining eight, and if the fates allow, the other arcana as well. If you obtain all the powers from all the existing arcana, something truly extraordinary will happen. Something that may just give you the extra strength you need to restore the balance to your world," Igor explained.

"Huh, so you're saying that along with the duties that come with being a Grim Reaper, I should also try and form as many connections as I can? And when I meet these certain people, I'll create a new Soul Link?" Takuya asked.

Alphonse nodded. "That's correct, it may seem like a lot of work, but trust me making as many bonds as possible is the key to unlocking true power," he replied.

"The boy speaks the truth," Igor added. "Right now you are still the naive Fool, innocent and unknowing of the outside world. Only by expanding your world's horizons will you truly grow and mature until you are ready to achieve your destiny. And then, and only then will the World bless you with its power."

Samantha giggled in delight. "Besides, like, making new friends along the way is always, like, a good thing, right?"

Alphonse sighed and sweatdropped. "Sister, you really need to improve your grammar. The way you talk is kind of embarrassing."

Samantha smiled with glee. "Like, I think I'm fine just the way I am."

"Now then, time marches on in your world. It is time to awaken to a brand new day. Here's till next time, our dear guest. I hope we'll be seeing you again quite soon," Igor said with a whimsical chuckle. And then, much like the first time he visited the Velvet Room, Takuya's world went white.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Morning**

Takuya woke up to sound of his cellphone's alarm clock and then sat up in bed. He yawned and stretched his arms, and then he looked to his right and saw that Shinichi was now floating in the air while nuzzling up against a pillow. "Hey Shinichi, wake up. It's morning," Takuya called out to his new roommate.

Shinichi opened his eyes before loudly yawning. Then he floated back down to the ground and sat up on his sleeping bag. "Morning already? I barely slept at all, I had too much on my mind," Shinichi said.

"What does it matter? I thought you said you didn't need to sleep," Takuya replied.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to occasionally take a cat nap," Shinichi replied.

"Whatever, look I've got to get ready to go to class. Homeroom starts in about an hour," said Takuya. "So you might as well go ahead and get started on your mission for the day."

Shinichi got up onto his feet and stretched. Then he replied, "Got it, I'll keep an eye on the Prez and if I find out anything I'll come and get you. Don't worry I memorized your class schedule when you weren't looking. It should be easy to find you."

"Actually you don't need to…" Takuya tried to tell him that he didn't have to come and get him until after school was over, but before he could Shinichi had already phased through the door, "…do that." He sighed, "Hopefully nothing bad will happen during class." Takuya thought best not to dwell on what could happen and instead he began to prepare for his first official day at his new school.

* * *

A/N: And low and behold, our young hero has gained the arcana of Death. What arcana shall he be blessed with next? Only time will tell.


	19. Chapter XVI

A/N: (Alright here's the last chapter I have so far. Again, sorry that I was a month late on my deadline and off on my projected arc. Don't worry Ryuta's awakening is in the chapter after the next one. I promise. Ayuka's however…well we'll see. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed what I've written so far. Next is Takuya's first day of school.)

A dark storm is brewing; it won't be long now. The first ordeal is fast approaching, and hopefully our young hero is up to the task of preventing it. If not, this may be the end of his tale.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XVI: First day of school**

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Morning**

After getting prepared for school, Takuya headed to the dining hall to grab a quick breakfast, which mainly ended up being toaster pastry since he was pressed for time. His Homeroom class started in less than ten minutes and the building his class was in was a good distance away from the dining hall so he was rushing to be there on time, and that meant eating his quick breakfast on the go. As he jogged down the concrete path of the academy to get to his class, he hastily ate his toaster pastry and wiped away the remaining crumbs from his mouth and uniform. Then when he was finished eating, he picked up the pace and broke out into a run while his school bag's strap jostled against his shoulder. "Can't be late on the first day! Can't be late!" he exclaimed to himself. He was running a little late due to the fact that he was forced to endure an ice-cold shower at the boys' dorm earlier on. Ryuta was right, the hot water went really fast there. "Can't be late! Can't be late! Can't be late!"

Then along the way to his Homeroom class, Takuya caught sight of an older young man. He was tall and kind of lanky, and he had slightly pale skin, dark brown eyes hidden behind a pair of circular black broad-framed glasses, and short, slightly curly black hair. He wore a dark gray suit, a white collared shirt, a pink tie, a digital watch, a pair of black socks, and a pair of black shoes. And he also had a blue rolling bag by his side. He was holding a map in his hands and he appeared to be muttering to himself in a frustrated tone. He clearly wasn't a student, but at the same time he looked too young to be a teacher. Which begged the questions, who was he, and what was he doing at the academy? Out of curiosity, Takuya stopped running and started to eavesdrop on his conversation with himself.

"If I'm here, near the courtyard, then the high school building would have to be…" the young man grunted in frustration. "This is hopeless! How could this place change so much in just three years?! The layout's completely different from what I remember!" The young man looked really frustrated, it seemed like he was about to start pulling at his hair.

'Looks like he's lost. Should I help him?' Takuya asked himself. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. There was only about six minutes until Homeroom began. 'I really don't have the time, but…' Takuya looked back at the frustrated young man. Then he sighed in defeat and began to walk over to him. "Hey, you look like you could use some help," Takuya called out to him.

The young man looked away from his map and turned around to see Takuya. "Oh…umm, yes I'm really lost. The campus map they gave me is pretty much useless, I don't think they've updated it in quite a while," he explained. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in a fit of embarrassment. "It's funny, I used to know this place like the back of my hand. Now everything's totally different."

"I understand how confusing it can be, I just came here this weekend and I got a little overwhelmed at first too. Where do you need to go?" Takuya asked.

"The high school building," the young man replied. "I'm supposed to be there by 8:00 so I'm running a little late as is."

"The high school building? No problem, I'm headed there too. It's this way," Takuya pointed to the direction he was heading in before he stopped.

The young man sighed in relief. "When I was still here, it was in the opposite direction. That used to be the direction to the arts and clubs building."

"Yeah, that's on the other side of the campus now," Takuya replied.

The young man sighed in exasperation. "Of course it is, well thank you so much for your help. Come on, I'm guessing your class starts at 8:00 too, right? We should get a move on."

"Right," Takuya replied and he began jogging to his class again while the young man followed behind him. A few minutes later they reached the building and then the young man turned to Takuya. "I know I already said it, but really thank you so much. I don't think I would've found this place without your help."

"No problem," Takuya replied.

The young man sighed. "Yuri's probably going to be mad at me. I told her I would stop by and see her before 8:00, so much for that."

"You said the academy was different a few years back, I take that to mean you're a Yousha alum, right?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah, that's right. I graduated three years ago," the young man replied.

"So why are you back here?" Takuya asked.

"Well…it's sort of a long story," the young man replied and then he looked at his watch. "Oh crap, two minutes before 8:00. Come on we both better hurry before we get in trouble."

"Right," Takuya replied, and he and the young man entered the building and went their separate ways.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Morning**

Or so they thought. However, it turned out that they had the exact same destination. Class 2-B, Mr. Morishige Gasai's Homeroom. When they arrived, Mr. Gasai was waiting outside his classroom for the both of them to arrive, having just barely made it to class he scolded the both of them and then told them to wait outside until he called them in. So Takuya and the young man were forced to wait outside alone in the hallway.

"So you're a transfer student then, …Takuya Miyazaki-kun, wasn't that it? I think that's what Gasai-sensei said your name was," the young man suddenly said.

Takuya nodded. "That's right. I just moved to Japan this past weekend."

"Miyazaki. You wouldn't happen to be related to Headmaster Miyazaki, would you?" the young man asked.

"Yeah, he's my grandfather," Takuya replied.

The young man chuckled in delight. "I thought as much. I'm sure you hear this a lot, but your grandfather is a great man. He personally wrote a recommendation letter for me after I graduated, and he even managed to get me a job here. It's nice to see his grandson takes after him."

Takuya chuckled in embarrassment. "Thanks, I guess. Gasai-sensei said that you were a student teacher, right? So that means you're still in college?"

The young man nodded. "I want to be a teacher and one of the requirements for my major is that I have to assist teaching an actual class before I can graduate. So I thought that there would be no better place to teach then here at my alma mater, and I ended up taking the semester off so I could move back here and do so. I'm really looking forward to it." And then he started to nervously shake. "But at the same time I feel like I'm about to throw up."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, and hey you already know one of the students that you'll be teaching. Compared to the troublesome transfer student, the others probably won't be that bad," Takuya joked.

The young man laughed in reply. "I sure hope so. Gasai-sensei kind of already made it clear beforehand that if the students don't respect from the first day in this will be the end of my very short teaching career." And just like that he was back to being anxious. To Takuya, it looked like he was sweating bullets.

Takuya tried to get the young man's mind off his anxiousness. "Hey, come to think of it, you never told me what your name was, and I don't think Gasai-sensei said it either."

The young man calmed down for a second and cleared his throat. "You're right, where are my manners? My name is…" Suddenly the pair was interrupted by the loud arrival of a third party. A boy in a school uniform came running down the hallway at break-neck speed and then skidded to a halt right in front of Takuya and the young man. When the boy stopped running, he grabbed ahold of his knees and began panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" Takuya asked out of concern.

The boy shook his head. "Just ran here…all the way from…home. At least…five kilometers. Need a second…to catch…my breath." Takuya and the young man gave the boy a few minutes to catch his breath, and then when he could finally stand up right again he began to speak. "Whew, finally got my second wind." Then his eyes spied Takuya. "Damn, looks like I'm late again," he said. "If I'd have known I wasn't going to make it on time I wouldn't have risked coughing up a lung just to get here. Oh well, at least someone's tardied with me today."

"Umm, actually he's not technically tardied. We both showed up at the last minute and Gasai-sensei asked us to wait outside," the young man said to the boy.

The boy panicked. "Seriously?! I'm the only one who's tardied again?! Dammit, how does this happen all the time?! I know for a fact that there are students in our class who live off campus and they always make it on time! Why is it always just me who's late?!" He turned around and began muttering something to himself while clenching his fist tightly. "It's that damn old geezer's fault again! Making me do excessive chores before going to school! I woke up at 5:00 this morning and I didn't even get to leave till 7:40!" And then he took in a deep breath and did his best to calm himself down. "Okay calm down Kyou, it's not the end of the world. Tomorrow for sure, you're going to make it to class on time tomorrow for sure," he said to himself as he clenched his fist with a newfound determination. Then he turned to back to face Takuya and the young man. "Sorry about that, I just got mad that my tardy streak still hasn't been broken. This makes the eighth time in a row so it's detention for sure," he said in a depressed tone.

Takuya finally got a good look at the boy and he noticed that he was fairly tall, at least 185 cm (over 6 ft) in stature, though it was probably even more, and he also had a lean musculature and a sturdy but lithe frame. He had long onyx black hair that was slightly messy with bangs trimmed to just above his eyes; he also had side locks that fell to about his shoulder-level and were dyed a midnight blue in color. And his hair near the back of his head was tied back into a pony-tail. His eyes had an almond-shape to them and were angled slightly upwards, they had a sharp intensity about them but also a gentle and warm chartreuse green in color. And he also had a light olive skin tone. He wore the standard Yousha Academy boy's uniform with two minor alterations, he wore a button-down shirt over his undershirt that had the top two buttons undone and he also wasn't wearing his tie.

Then the boy gave Takuya another look. "But come to think of it, I don't recognize you. Are you a transfer student?"

"Yeah I am, I'm just starting today," Takuya replied. "I'm Takuya Miyazaki."

"Nice to meet you," the boy replied. "Name's Kyou Kurokami. Just call me Kyou, pretty much every one I know does."

"So Kyou, I take it you're all too familiar with having to wait out in the hall considering your truant status," Takuya replied.

"Hey, I'm not a truant. I take offense to that. I'm just constantly late because of my slave driver of a boss," Kyou replied.

"You have a part-time job before school?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

"Before school, after school, and sometimes I work nights. It's more like a full-time job actually," Kyou replied with a sigh of exhaustion.

"Huh, that's new too. Back when I went here, we weren't allowed to get part-time jobs, the teachers said they distracted us from our studies," the young man replied.

"Oh you're an alum? Yeah, they repealed that rule two years ago I think, though I'm not quite sure, I only started school here about a year ago," Kyou replied.

"So many things about this place are different, from what I hear in the media it's pretty hard to imagine it's the same school," the young man replied. "Rumors of murder, assault, theft, and a lot more vicious crimes are being spread about a lot of the students who go here. By any chance have the two of you heard about this new blog? It's called Yousha Unmasked."

But before Takuya could answer, he was interrupted when the door to classroom 2-B opened, and Mr. Gasai poked his out into the hallway. "Okay we're ready for you gentlemen now. Miyazaki-san, why don't you start us…" Then Mr. Gasai noticed Kyou was standing in the hallway as well. "Kurokami-san, tardied again I see."

"Sorry, Sensei. I got held up at work again. Can I please come inside?" Kyou replied as he clasped his hands together and bowed in forgiveness.

Mr. Gasai sighed. "Just use the back door and be seated quickly. And be sure to talk to me at the end of the day," he replied.

"Yes, Sensei," Kyou replied and then he made his way to the classroom's back door and quickly made his way to his desk. Meanwhile, Takuya shuffled into the classroom through the front door and was forced by Mr. Gasai to stand at the front of the room and introduce himself. As Takuya stood out in front of the class, he could hear some of their whispering in private to each other:

" _That's the transfer student from America, right? I'm kind of disappointed. I thought he would be a cute foreign guy, but he's Japanese."_ " _I don't know he still looks pretty cute to me_." " _That's Headmaster Miyazaki's grandson_." " _Seriously, I thought Fuyumi-chan was his only grandchild?_ " " _No apparently, he's her cousin. He moved away when he was younger._ " " _God, I'm so jealous. I would kill to have a cute girl like Fuyumi-chan as my cousin._ " " _Did you hear? He was on Yousha Unmasked. Apparently he was at the center of an incident at his old school. He's become a horrible pariah on social media._ " " _Seriously? But he looks so harmless. What could he have done that was so bad?_ " " _Read the article and you'll understand, you should stay away from that guy. He's bad news._ "

Almost everyone in the class seemed to have taken an interest in Takuya in one way or another. Everyone except for one girl that is. She was sitting in the middle seat of the second row from the front of the room and she appeared to be busying herself by reading a book. Takuya couldn't help but become intrigued by her as she appeared to be the only one who wasn't curious about him. She had dark skin that was almost the shade of hot chocolate, and long black hair that extended down the length of her back, with bangs that covered her right eye which were held in a single braided lock. She had black, somewhat busy eyebrows and mysterious and captivating, almond-shaped, light lavender colored eyes. She also looked fairly skinny, but not so much that it was unhealthy, it just made her look kind of tiny. She wore the typical girl's uniform for Yousha Academy but there were a few alterations. Her blazer's sleeves covered her hands, she was wearing black stockings, her bowtie was very loose, and instead of black dress shoes she appeared to wearing black Vans slip on shoes. Finally, the girl looked up and noticed that Takuya was staring at her. Then when Takuya looked away, she simply returned to her book.

"Alright class settle down," said Mr. Gasai. Takuya also made note of Mr. Gasai. He had disheveled gray hair that extended down to his neck, and fell into two bangs that hung off either side of his head, captivating, yet intense blue eyes, and a lanky build. He wore a neatly creased white dress shirt, a red tie, a pair of dark black pants which were held up by suspenders, and a pair of black dress shoes. He was a unique teacher, to say the least. "As you all know; we have a new student starting school here today. So please be kind and courteous, and do not interrupt while he's introducing himself. Otherwise, expect to join Kurokami-san in afternoon detention," he threatened with a mischievous smile.

"Why do you have to use me to go along with your threat?" Kyou muttered. "I knew it was a given that I was getting detention. You don't have to rub it in."

"Alright then, go ahead, Miyazaki-san," Mr. Gasai instructed Takuya. "Tell the class your name, and a little about yourself."

"R-Right," Takuya stuttered out. He cleared his throat and then began to speak. "My name is Takuya Miyazaki, it's nice to meet you all. I grew up in Japan originally, right here in Tokyo actually, but me and my parents moved to America when I was nine and I haven't been back since then, so pardon me if I sometimes use a lot of Japanglish. I don't really have any hobbies per se, but I'm pretty much up for anything so I'd love to hang out with you guys some time. I hope we can all get along…I guess."

"…" Takuya was met with complete silence. Silence and a sea of awkward stares.

"Mm, not bad. I'll give you an A for effort," Mr. Gasai said as he flashed a thumb's up. "Now then why don't you go ahead and take a seat? I see an empty one back there in front of Kurokami-san." Mr. Gasai pointed to the window seat near the back of the room. Takuya collected his things and made his way to the back of the room as specified, and then he sat down at the desk right in front of Kyou.

"Hey, guess we're desk neighbors," Kyou said as he greeted Takuya.

"Guess so," Takuya replied in an unenthusiastic manner. He was still reeling from how he blew that first impression. 'Everyone probably thinks I'm a total loser now. I hope we can all get along? What the hell was that?' Then a paper ball flew across the room and pinged Takuya in the head. Takuya caught it and then unfolded the paper and read its contents:

 _Don't sweat it, it was better than my self-introduction._

 _You're a lot more interesting than most of the people here, you'll do fine._

 _I'm Hope by the way._

Takuya looked up from the paper and scanned the room in search for the person that threw it at him, and then finally his eyes landed on the mysterious dark-skinned girl. She lightly smiled at Takuya and then went back to her book.

Kyou peered over Takuya's shoulder and then saw the note he had been given by the girl named Hope. "Heh, lucky you. She never really warms up to anyone." Kyou looked at Hope. "She transferred in from America too, but other than that nobody really knows that much about her."

"…" Takuya was simply silent as he continued to stare at Hope in curiosity.

"Now then, along with a new classmate, we'll also be welcoming a special guest to our class. I ask that you be kind and courteous to him as well, as he'll be staying with us for the remainder of the semester," said Mr. Gasai. "You can come in now, Hirabayashi-kun." The door to the classroom opened and the young man from before walked in and stood at the front of the class. Takuya could tell that he still seemed nervous about all of this. "This is Reisuke Hirabayashi, he's a college student who's majoring in Secondary Education, and part of his degree requires him to get a feel for teaching in a real classroom setting. As such, he's going to be my new teaching assistant until the semester ends. Which means from here on out, I expect you all to show him as much respect as you show me. Is that clear?" Mr. Gasai asked the class.

"Yes, Sensei," the class replied.

"Good." Mr. Gasai then turned to face Hirabayashi. "Alright then, Hirabayashi-kun. You have the floor. Tell the class a little about yourself and what they can expect from you."

"Oh…umm," Hirabayashi gulped. "Well, I…I uh…" Hirabayashi didn't know what to say. But after a few more moments of floundering he took in a deep breath and then exhaled. "As you've all heard, my name is Reisuke Hirabayashi." He turned around to face the chalkboard and grabbed a stick of chalk then he began writing his name on the board:

 _平林 礼佑_

 _(Hirabayashi, Reisuke)_

Then Hirabayashi put the chalk down and turned back to face the class. "And for the next few months, you can all consider me your second teacher for this class. But other than that, I want you all to also consider me as your friend. Because I want to learn everything about each and every one of you. I want to help you learn and also be there to give you guidance when you need it." He chuckled. "I know what you guys are probably thinking right now. Who does this guy think he is? He's only a few years older than us and he's treating us like we're kids. Well the fact of the matter is, you guys are still kids. And at this age especially, you're all the more impressionable. Right about now is the time where you start to carefully consider your futures and careers, what you want to do with the rest of your life once school is over. And when it comes to that, most of you don't have a clue. Am I right? It's okay to admit it, heck I was the same way not too long ago. But you know what finally set me on the path that I'm on right now? A really awesome teacher, my Homeroom teacher from when I went here to be exact. He wasn't only smart but he was funny, charming, and wiser than anyone could possibly be at his age. Now obviously, I'm nothing like him. But I want to be. He made school a joy to me and so many others, and anytime any of us had a problem, be it academic or otherwise he would always take the time to listen and give us advice. He was without a doubt, the best teacher in the world."

Hirabayashi sighed. "But I'm rambling, the point is I wanted to be just like him. Heck I wanted to be even better than him, so that's my current goal. And hopefully, if this all works out you guys will be one of many classes that I teach in the near future. So please remember, if you ever feel like talking about anything, I'm there. Let's all have a great semester together. That's all I wanted to say, thank you guys for listening."

Mr. Gasai softly applauded. "Nicely done, Hirabayashi-kun. Those were some bold claims as well, hopefully it got through to at least of few of them."

Hirabayashi nodded. "Y-Yeah," he simply replied.

"Alright then, for now take a seat and observe the class and I'll begin today's lecture," Mr. Gasai replied as he pointed to a seat in the front corner of the room. Hirabayashi nodded and sat down in the corner as instructed. "Alright then class let's continue where we left off last time, shall we? Turn in your textbooks to page…"

Takuya couldn't help but overhear a few of the whispers his classmates made while discussing Hirabayashi:

" _He's so cute. He's both nervous and excited to do what he loves._ " " _What was with that introduction though? It sounded like a self-help seminar._ " " _Say what you will, but I think he made some pretty good points. Plus, like I said before. He's really cute. Do you think he has a girlfriend?_ " " _Please don't add to the schoolgirl cliché by falling in love with the teacher._ " " _A troubled transfer student and a student-teacher in one day? Ugh, this semester's going to be stressful, I can feel it now._ " " _You're telling me, every time he has an audience Gasai turns into a total slave driver._ "

"Hirabayashi-sensei's kind of cool, isn't he?" Kyou whispered to Takuya.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah he kind of is." Then Takuya's mind began to wander. 'Reisuke Hirabayashi. Reisuke Hirabayashi.' There was something about that name. 'Reisuke Hirabayashi. Why does that name sound so familiar?'

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Meanwhile, on the third year floor up above, the third year high school students were enjoying their short break between the end of their morning classes and the beginning of their afternoon classes. One third year girl in Class 3-A was spending her break reading a book at her window-side desk. She appeared to be deeply invested in her book, as her eyes darted back and forth from page to page. She was an odd-looking girl, to say the least. She had short neck-length hair that was midnight black in color and had light orange highlights in it. Her eyes were a dark crimson in color and had a series of bags up under them; it appeared that the girl had not gotten a good night's sleep in quite some time. She had dark tanned, pale brown skin, a well-defined muscle tone, long slender legs, and very minimal curves. She also had two tattoos on both of her arms. She had a tattoo of red roses and green thorny vines going down the entirety of her left arm, and some of the thorny vines spelled out the word "Beauty". And on her right arm, she had a tattoo of a series of chains and barbed wire which tangled around a bullet casing that had the word "Deadly" engraved on it. She also had several faded scars on her body; one on her right arm, one across her right eye, and one on her left cheek. And her face was heart-shaped and had a series of light freckles dotting around it.

Oddly enough, even though she was a girl she wore the standard Yousha Academy boy's uniform, albeit a slightly beaten up version of it. Her pants were torn in several places, mostly around her knees. Her dress jacket was slightly tattered in some areas, and her tie was worn very loosely. Also, her shirt and jacket sleeves were rolled up to show off her tattoos, and she wore a pair of worn black boots instead of black dress shoes. She also wore a black locket, which had a picture of a dragon on it, around her neck.

The girl was sitting alone near the back of the room, while her fellow classmates that were also spending break in the classroom were conversing amongst themselves. Suddenly the classroom door opened and another girl walked into the classroom. This was Masako Akagawa, the kind albino girl that Takuya had met the day before. Masako appeared to be carrying a book with a red cover in her hands. She looked around the classroom until she spied the punkish girl who was reading alone in the back of the classroom, and then she rushed over to her in a giddy manner.

"Good afternoon, Sixx-san," Masako said cheerfully to the punkish girl.

The punkish girl looked up from her book and then smiled at the sight of the familiar albino girl. "Oh hey, Ma-chan. What brings you here today?" she asked in a playful manner.

Masako presented the punkish girl with the book she had in her hands. "I finished reading the book you lent me so I thought I'd stop by and return it to you before break ends."

The punkish girl giggled in delight and then flashed Masako a toothy grin. "You're so thoughtful, Ma-chan. So tell me, what did you think of your first Ranpo Edogawa mystery? It wasn't too scary for you was it?"

Masako giggled in reply. "To be honest, I was a little apprehensive at first. I mean from what you told me, this was one of his gorier works. But it was really interesting and once I started reading I couldn't put it down, even though at times I wanted to throw up," she said with an added sweatdrop.

The punkish girl chuckled. "You've got such a weak constitution, Ma-chan. But don't worry, it's one of your more charming quirks. To be honest, my heart leaps out of my chest when you act so meek," she said playfully.

Masako blushed. "Don't tease me so much, Sixx-san."

The punkish girl's eyes widened. "So…effing…cute."

A few of the other students in the room stifled their laughter, and the punkish girl's facial expression darkened. She couldn't help but overhear the things her classmates said:

" _Of course that trashy foreign freak would be friends with that shrimpy little albino. Two freaks of nature, they were practically made for each other._ " " _Ooh you're so mean, there's nothing wrong with them having feelings for each other. You're forgetting, one of them can't really even be considered a girl._ " " _Seriously! Who the hell thinks that fashion sense is a good fit for her? I honestly don't think I've ever seen an actual guy dress the way she does._ " " _So disgusting._ " " _Quiet, she'll hear you._ " " _Looks like the lezi has her sights set on Masako-san now._ " " _Seriously? I don't think Masako-san rolls that way._ " " _Do you really think that matters to the lezi?_ " " _Who knows what that freak of nature might do to get what she wants._ "

"..." Masako's expression began to darken as well. She hated hearing her friend be made fun of so vehemently. She rarely raised her voice at anyone, but she was very tempted to do so at that moment. She balled her hands up into fists and strengthened her resolve to tell them off when after a few more moments the whispers still had not died down. Masako turned to face the other students and prepared to give them a piece of her mind, but the punkish girl beat her to it.

The punkish girl slammed her hands down on her desk and then stood up and glared at her classmates. "If you know what's good for you, you'll shut the hell up and mind your own Goddamn business," she said in a cold and vicious manner. "If I hear so much as a snicker from any of you pieces of human garbage again, so help me, I will tear apart each and every one of you, limb from limb. That goes double for Ma-chan. Make fun of her again, you die. Got it?"

"…" the rest of class 3-A fell completely silent. You could tell that at that instant, a chill ran up each and every one of their spines. It even looked like some of the boys were going to piss their pants. The punkish girl truly knew how to scare people shitless.

The punkish girl smiled. "Good, now again. Please, shut the hell up." Then she sat back down in her desk and tried to continue her conversation with Masako like nothing happened at all. However, Masako herself also appeared to be a bit taken back by the punkish girl's overwhelming intimidation so she was a little startled at first. "So Ma-chan, did you want to borrow another book?"

"Huh?" Masako replied and then she realized the punkish girl was speaking to her again. "Oh yes, if that would be alright. You always have such interesting books, Sixx-san." Masako spied the book in the punkish girl's hands. "If I may ask, what are you reading right now?"

"Oh this? It's a book about supernatural myths and mysteries around the world. Most of its actually pretty ridiculous but there are some cool parts to it," the punkish girl replied. "I remember hearing a few of these stories myself when I was little." The punkish girl turned to a certain page in her book and then showed Masako what it was about. "This folk legend was always one of my favorites."

Masako observed the page that the book was turned to and saw an illustration of a headless figure riding a black horse. Upon closer inspection Masako saw that the figure was female, and that she had her head tucked up under her right arm. Her face, though attached to her now severed head, was the epitome of beauty in Masako's opinion. Masako read the caption next to the picture. "The Dullahan?" she said in confusion.

"Yeah, you know I'm half-Irish, right?" the punkish girl replied. "I heard about these a lot when I was little. They're fairies which can only be seen by people who are marked for death. Legend has it, that a Dullahan is always riding on their horse, and when their horse stops that means that someone is about to die. All they need to do is say your name, and then you immediately perish. Isn't that cool?"

Masako visibly shivered. "Maybe to you, but that just sounds really creepy to me. A fairy who brings death wherever she goes, it seems kind of evil, don't you think?" It was then that another one of the punkish girl's classmates suddenly made a snide comment:

" _It's funny that she would be scared of something like that. Haven't you heard the rumors? That girl's a living plague. Everyone she gets close to ends up dying in the end._ _Maybe if we get lucky she'll cause the freak to die too._ "

Masako heard those comments very well. Her eyes went wide and then she became sullen and depressed. She looked like she was about to cry. And her sadness sparked a fire in the punkish girl. She suddenly stood up and then turned to the direction in which the snide comments were made. "Who fucking said that?" she asked in a dark, demanding tone.

"…" the whole classroom went silent.

"I asked, who fucking said that?!" the punkish girl shouted at the top of her lungs.

"…" still there was no response.

To demonstrate how angry, she was, the punkish girl picked up the desk that was next to her and flung it across the room like it was nothing. The desk collided with the wall and left a large hole in it. "Answer me now, dammit!" she shouted. In response to her rage, a group of girls near the front of the room shifted and revealed a girl with brown hair and blue eyes. Judging by the way everyone, including her, was reacting she was obviously the one who had made the remark about Masako. The punkish girl glared daggers at the girl in question, and then after a moment of silence she rushed towards the girl. "You effing bitch! God damn you!" the punkish girl shouted as she grabbed the girl by her neck and then pushed her up against the chalkboard. "Take it back! Take it back, you bitch!"

The girl didn't respond, she simply struggled in trying to pry the punkish girl off of her.

"I said take it back!" the punkish girl replied as she dragged the brown-haired girl up the chalkboard and off of her feet. "Take it back! Take it back! You don't know anything about Ma-chan! She's kind to everyone she meets! You don't have the right to say such horrible things about her! Take it back!" The punkish girl's grip on the brown-haired girl's neck increased. She appeared to be literally choking the life out of her.

"…" the rest of the class stayed silent. They were too afraid to tell the punkish girl to stop. Masako was about to speak up and beg the punkish girl to stop, but someone beat her to it.

"Sixx-chan! Stop!" Michiko Endou exclaimed as she ran into the classroom. The Student Council President pleaded with the punkish girl. "Please, stop it! You're better than this!"

"This bitch said awful things about Ma-chan!" the punkish girl spat back at Michiko. "She won't take back her words, so I'm going to make her do so!"

Michiko tried to remain calm. "Considering its Minase-chan we're talking about here; I believe what you're saying but still…"

"But nothing! I'm sick and tired of this bullshit! They can spread whatever kind of rumors they want about me, but no one talks bad about Ma-chan! She's never hurt anyone! And I refuse to let idiots like this bitch here say those awful things about her!" the punkish girl shouted.

"Sixx-san, stop it!" Masako suddenly shouted. The punkish girl looked to her friend and saw that she was starting to cry. "Please, don't do this! Don't hurt anybody over me! I'm not worth it!"

Michiko looked to Masako as well. "Akagawa-chan," she said in a sad tone.

"…" The punkish girl was silent for a minute and then she let go of the brown-haired girl, named Minase, and put her back down on the ground.

Minase gagged and retched as she tried to catch her breath. Then when she regained her composure, she glared daggers at the punkish girl. "What the hell is your problem, you psychotic freak?!"

"Shut the fuck up," the punkish girl simply replied. Then she turned back to Masako. "You're wrong, Ma-chan. The ones who aren't worth anything are people like her. I'm sorry that you can't see that." Then she turned to face the front classroom door, and everyone who was in her way quickly backed up and let her proceed, out of fear that they would be the next target of her wrath.

"Sixx-chan, wait!" Michiko exclaimed as she ran after the punkish girl.

When the two girls were gone, the rest of the students gathered around Minase out of concern. "Are you okay?" one of the girls asked. "You should seriously report that freak for that. That was assault no matter how you look at it," said another.

"…" Masako stayed in the back of the room and then turned to look at her friend's desk. She left her book and other belongings behind. "Sixx-san, I'm sorry," she whispered to herself.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Michiko finally caught up to the punkish girl in the stairwell of the high school building. "Sixx-chan!" Michiko exclaimed as the punkish girl was about to round the corner and head down into the second floor of the building.

The punkish girl looked up at Michiko. "What do you want?" she asked in a cool tone. "If you're here to ask me if I'm coming back for class, the answer is no. Tell the teacher I'm sorry, but I'm just not up for it."

Michiko shook her head. "No, that's not it. We have to talk about your behavior back there. You know that, don't you?" Michiko walked down the staircase to get on even ground with the punkish girl. "Even though Minase-chan was in the wrong, like you said. That doesn't change the fact that you put your hands on her. If a teacher finds out about this and passes it on, you could get suspended."

The punkish girl scoffed. "With my record, more like expelled. I've already got two strikes, remember?"

"Doesn't that matter to you at all?" Michiko asked.

The punkish girl shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly? No, it doesn't. To tell you the truth, I find it harder and harder to come to school each day. Or did you forget already? Not only am I the delinquent, lesbian, half-Egyptian, half-Irish outcast of our class but now…people know I'm trash from an abusive home too. As if they already didn't think I was a freak, now I'm the psychotically unstable freak." The punkish sadly chuckled. "You know, the whole story of what happened to my biological family was posted on that damned blog and yet some people are starting to spread the rumor that I killed my whole family in a fit of blind rage. I couldn't take the abuse anymore and I snapped." Tears started to stream down the punkish girl's face.

"…" Michiko had gone silent. She didn't know what to say.

"It fucking hurts. As far back as I can remember, until I found the courage to run away from that hellhole, my father would tell me on a daily basis that I was trash and that I didn't deserve to live. I thought I had gotten away from all of that, I found a new family who loved and respected me after all, and yet it's all come bubbling back to the surface. I ache and feel a burning pain every time it's brought up. It's like a scar that won't heal right. And if anybody knows about scars…" she sadly joked as she showed off her scars. "It'd be me."

"Sixx-chan, I understand that these past few months have been troubling, and that they've stirred up a lot of painful memories but…" Michiko tried to reply but the punkish girl cut her off.

"You understand?! Ha, that's rich!" the punkish girl exclaimed. "What?! You think just because you're an orphan that you understand the shit that I went through?! Please, you've been at this place since elementary school! You told me yourself, remember?!"

"…" Michiko went silent again.

"You think just because you didn't have a family of your own that you understand how I feel?! Don't flatter yourself, you have no idea what I've been through! You have no idea what Ma-chan's been through! Or any of the other people who have been viciously slandered since that stupid blog got uploaded!" The punkish girl wiped her tears off on her jacket sleeve and then she calmed down a little bit. "Do me a favor. Don't pretend like you know or care about me. Hell if I wasn't in the same class as you, our paths would probably never cross. So just stop acting like you give a damn about what happens to me."

"I-I'm not acting!" Michiko exclaimed. "I do care about you and the other victims! As Student Council President, it's my job to…!"

"Exactly, it's your job to care, you don't really care." The punkish girl shook her head. "Stop acting already. The only one you're fooling is yourself." And with that harsh comment, the punkish girl walked off, leaving Michiko alone to ponder her words.

"Th-That's not true," Michiko said to herself. "I do care. I do. I want to help, but what can I…?" Michiko didn't have an answer. The punkish girl may have been rather harsh, but on some level what she said was true. If Michiko really cared about her and the other victims of Yousha Unmasked, wouldn't she be trying harder to find the creator of the blog and stop them? Michiko was left alone in the stairwell, doubting herself to no end, until finally the bell rang, signaling the end of break. She turned to head back to class before taking one last look in the direction where the punkish girl went. "Maybe you're right, Sixx-chan. Maybe, I am just acting like I want to help. After all, wouldn't a more capable person in my position have done something about this already?" she asked herself. She scoffed. "I'm sorry, I'm so useless."

Jackal Sario Sixx, that was the punkish girl's name. She was a foreign exchange student who transferred to Yousha last year and in that time had only managed to make one real friend. Mainly people avoided her because of how different she was, and if that didn't drive people off, her nasty attitude and streak of violence would. Yet, another one of Yousha Academy's problem students, and another victim of vicious rumors and slander that originated from that horrible blog. Deep down, Jack knew that she was tougher on Michiko than she ought to have been. Michiko was genuinely concerned about her. She knew that. She thought of going back to apologize to her after their spat, but her pride got in the way of her conscience. But unfortunately for Jack, she would not get another chance to apologize. Because that would be the last conversation that she ever had with Student Council President, Michiko Endou.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

"And that should wrap up our lecture for today, for homework make sure to read pages 145-190 and be prepared to discuss the reading tomorrow," Mr. Gasai instructed his class. "Now before I dismiss you for lunch, I have an announcement. After the lunch break has concluded you are all to report to the main auditorium. The Headmaster has a most troubling issue to discuss with all of us. And Kurokami-san, if it's not too much trouble, please don't be late."

Kyou groaned. "Yes, Sensei."

"Good, now who's on class routine today?" Mr. Gasai asked the class.

Hope slowly raised her hand. "I…I am, Sensei," she said in a soft tone.

"Ah, Ebage-san. Always good to hear from you. Well then, when you're ready," Mr. Gasai replied.

Hope nodded her head and then said, "Rise." Then the entire class stood up out of their seats. "Bow." Then the entire class bowed to Mr. Gasai.

"Thank you for teaching us," the class said together.

"Excellent, you're all dismissed for lunch. That includes you, Hirabayashi-kun," said Mr. Gasai.

"Oh…umm, yes thank you," Hirabayashi replied in an awkward tone.

"I expect to see you all at the assembly. Till then," said Mr. Gasai as he collected his things and exited the classroom. As soon as the bell rang for lunch break a horde of girls swarmed Hirabayashi, backing him up against the wall in a panicked frenzy.

" _Hirabayashi-sensei, will you come eat lunch with us?_ " " _Hirabayashi-sensei, there are some things about Gasai-sensei's lecture I don't understand. Do you mind staying back and helping me?_ " " _Hirabayashi-sensei, you're an alumnus from Yousha, right? There are probably some things around the campus that are different from when you went here, do you want me to show you around?_ " " _Hirabayashi-sensei, are you going to be offering tutoring to students who need it?_ " " _Hirabayashi-sensei, this may seem a little forward, but do you have a girlfriend?_ " " _Hirabayashi-sensei, I'm not like these other girls. I really do need help with my studies._ "

"Check it out, he's here for one day and he already has his own personal fan club," Kyou remarked as he and Takuya looked on at the comedic site.

Hirabayashi looked really uncomfortable being surrounded by all those girls. "Oh…well…that's…umm…you see…I…" He couldn't seem to get any response to come out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried. Then suddenly his cellphone began to ring and he breathed a sigh of relief as he checked to see who it was. "Umm, sorry girls I already have a prior engagement. That's probably them right now, so I'll have to leave and take this call. See you later." Hirabayashi quickly gathered his things and then ran out of the classroom as fast as he could.

"Awwwwww!" the girl groaned in unison. "Oh well, I guess there's always tomorrow. We'll wear him down eventually," said one of the girls. Then soon they all started to disperse.

Kyou chuckled. "Well that was entertaining, but man am I starving. Say Takuya, you want to grab lunch together?"

Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

"Great, then let's head over to the dining hall and…" then Takuya's cellphone vibrated and Takuya pulled it out of his pocket to check it.

"Sorry, hang on just a second." Takuya had received a text message, and he was surprised to see that the sender was none other than Ayuka Yamasato. Her text message read:

 _Surprise, I asked your cousin for your contact info during class. She looked really skeptical at first but after I told her about how you helped me with the clubroom cleaning yesterday, she agreed, although a bit begrudgingly. Anyways, there's something I want to ask you, do you think you can meet me up on the roof of the high school building? –Ayuka_

'Huh? I wonder what she wants,' Takuya thought to himself. He quickly texted her back a reply: _Sounds good, I'll see you in a few minutes._

"Let me guess. Something came up?" Kyou asked.

Takuya sighed and nodded. "Sorry, a friend of mine needs to talk about something. You think we can reschedule?"

"Sure man, no problem. I'll see you at the assembly then," Kyou said in an understanding manner. Then he packed up his things and he exited the classroom as well.

'Well then, guess I better go see what Ayuka wants,' Takuya thought to himself as he packed up his things as well. On his way out of the classroom, he saw that Hope was still at her desk, and once again her nose was buried in her book. Takuya walked up to her and then presented her with the paper ball she threw at him earlier. "Before I forget, I wanted to thank you for this. It really meant a lot."

Hope put her book down and took the paper ball from Takuya. "No thanks necessary, I know what it's like to be the new kid," Hope replied in a meek tone.

Takuya nodded. "Still though, thanks. Well, that's all I wanted to say so, I guess I'll see you at the assembly." Takuya then made his way to the classroom's front door. "Later." And then he was gone.

Hope smiled at the paper ball in her hand. "Takuya Miyazaki?" she said to herself. "Hmm."

* * *

A/N: There appears to be a lot more going on in his own world than our young hero yet realizes. Yousha Unmasked, clearly it has caused a great amount of discord at this safe haven of a school. I wonder, could it somehow be related to one of our hero's future ordeals? Only time will tell.

(Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope my fellow OCs creators enjoyed finally seeing their children. I'm so sorry it took so long to write them in, but hopefully I've done them justice. I can't wait to hear your responses. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up by next week, but I might just wait until I finish Ryuta's arc to post anything else. We'll see. Anyway, for now at least…that's all folks.)


	20. Chapter XVII

A/N: The storm is hastily approaching. Our young hero's first ordeal shall loom upon him and the others in a matter of days. What does fate have in store for him? Let's find out shall we.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XVII: Ryuta Yanasai, student, killer, childcare giver**

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

Yurika Owari sat alone on one of the benches in the academy's courtyard, while several students who were enjoying lunch and chatting were scattered on the outskirts. She was mindlessly checking the time on her cellphone while quietly relaxing in the shade of the trees. It appeared that she was waiting on somebody to show up. "Geez, where is he? Is he seriously planning on blowing me off again?" Yurika asked herself.

Suddenly Yurika's eyes were covered and she jumped in surprise. "Guess who."

"Reisuke!" Yurika nudged the new arrival in the chest with her elbow, and in response he yelped in pain in response and uncovered her eyes. Yurika turned around and saw that the person in question was student-teacher, Reisuke Hirabayashi.

"Ow, can't you take a joke?" Reisuke replied.

"That wasn't a joke, you nearly scared me half to death," Yurika scolded Hirabayashi. "Now you've made me madder at you than I already am. You promised me that you would come see me before classes started this morning. I was nearly late waiting for you to show up."

"I'm sorry, I know it's not a good excuse but I got lost. I had to get directions from another student just to find the high school building. Seriously, how could this place have changed so much in just a few short years?" Hirabayashi replied.

Yurika sighed in exasperation. "Well I guess I can't completely blame you then, it was an honest mistake." She smiled at Hirabayashi. "It still means a lot to me that you were at least trying to keep your promise." She motioned for Hirabayashi to come sit down next to her. "Come on, don't be a stranger."

Hirabayashi blushed. "Oh…umm…okay," he nervously replied. Then he looked around the area. "Is it okay to be so close to each other though? We're kind of out in the open."

Yurika giggled. "Don't worry, if anyone asks you're just helping me with a personal problem I'm going through."

Hirabayashi sweatdropped. "Yeah, because that doesn't sound suspicious."

Yurika growled. "Sit down, now."

"Yes, ma'am," Hirabayashi quickly replied as he sat down on the bench next to Yurika.

Yurika smiled coyly and moved in closer to Hirabayashi. "So tell me, how's your first day back at school so far, Sensei? ~"

Hirabayashi seemed uncomfortable with how close Yurika was. "W-Well…umm…good so far I guess."

Yurika glared at him. "Did any other girls try to talk to you?"

Hirabayashi looked away. "Well one or two have them may have come up to me after class," he replied.

Yurika gripped Hirabayashi's arm tightly. "And?"

"And, after I received your call I ignored them and came running here. I would've been here sooner but…I got lost again," Hirabayashi said in an embarrassed tone.

Yurika sighed. "Reisuke, you're kind of pathetic sometimes." Then she smiled. "But you make me really happy. And your response about avoiding those little minxes earned you brownie points," she said with an added giggle.

"Yuri, you should know by now, you're the only girl I…" Hirabayashi got a little embarrassed and started to blush a deep red, "…you know."

Yurika blushed in reply. Then her smile grew. "Yeah, I get the picture even without you saying it. Me too." Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a bento box. "So then, I guess you won't mind sharing lunch with your girlfriend if she means that much to you." Yurika opened up the bento box and revealed the delicious contents.

"Oh God," Hirabayashi replied with an added groan. "Please don't tell me you're going to…" Before he could even finish his sentence, Yurika had already used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of food and present it to Hirabayashi.

"Too late, if you were coming to eat lunch with me you should've expected for this to happen. Now say aah," Yurika replied as she motioned for Hirabayashi to open his mouth so she could feed him.

Hirabayashi's blush deepened and then he obeyed. "Aah," he said as he opened his mouth. Then Yurika lovingly fed Hirabayashi.

"Well how is it?" Yurika asked.

Hirabayashi chewed and then swallowed his food. "Delicious as always. Even though you always insist on making me eat in the most embarrassing way possible, I'm really grateful to have a girlfriend who's such a wonderful cook."

"As you should be, I had to practically beg the cooking club to let me use their equipment to make this. And I had to get up super early to prepare it. But it was all worth it to see the pleased look on my boyfriend's face," Yurika replied.

"Well then, thank you for going through so much trouble just for me," Hirabayashi replied.

"Anything for you, Sensei ~," she replied with an added giggle.

"Geez," Hirabayashi replied in an embarrassed tone.

"Senpai, is that you?!" someone else exclaimed in surprise.

Yurika and Hirabayashi were surprised to see Michiko Endou approach them. She smiled at Hirabayashi. "It is you, I wasn't expecting to see you until you came to see the new clubroom later. I guess it's a stroke of luck I've run into you now."

"…" Yurika immediately frowned.

Hirabayashi on the other hand, returned Michiko's smile. "I guess so, it's good to see you again too, Endou-chan. I have to say, you look really different compared to the last time I saw you. You have a more elegant and mature atmosphere about you. But I guess that comes with the responsibilities that come with being both club president and Student Council President."

Michiko giggled in delight. "Thank you, Senpai."

Hirabayashi sighed in exasperation. "Endou-chan, we've been over this already. I don't go to school here anymore; you don't have to keep calling me "senpai"."

"But Hirabayashi-senpai will always be Senpai to me," Michiko replied. Then she looked to Yurika. "Oh, Yurika. You're here too?"

'Took you long enough to notice,' Yurika thought to herself. Then she smiled. "Yeah, I ran into Reisuke a little while ago and asked him to have lunch with me."

Michiko spied the single bento box between the two of them, and immediately her expression became troubled. "Oh, you're having lunch together right now? I'm so sorry, it looks like I've interrupted things. I really do have the worst timing, don't I?"

"It's no trouble, Yuri and I don't mind at all," Hirabayashi replied. "In fact, would you like to join us, Endou-chan?"

"Reisuke," Yurika scolded Hirabayashi.

"What? What's the problem, Yuri? The three of us used to eat lunch together before sometimes, didn't we?" Hirabayashi replied in an oblivious tone.

"Reisuke? Yuri?" They were being so familiar with each other. "Since when did the two of you become so close?" Michiko asked in a suspicious tone.

"Eh? Didn't Yuri tell you, Endou-chan? Yuri and I…" Hirabayashi began to answer Michiko's question before Yurika cut him off.

"Met a few weeks ago in passing," Yurika quickly said. "He heard about our club's upcoming music venue and asked me if I could reserve him a ticket for the event. We've been chatting since then. I told you about that didn't I, Michiko?"

Michiko frowned. "No, I don't think you did. At least I don't recall you ever saying anything about it."

"Oh, sorry slipped my mind I guess," Yurika replied.

"…" Hirabayashi frowned.

"Anyway, Michiko can't join us for lunch, Reisuke. She's got to get things ready for the big assembly in a little while, right?" Yurika asked Michiko.

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right," Michiko said in a depressed tone. "Well, I guess I'll see you two there then. And you're still coming by the club room later, right Senpai?"

"You betcha, Yuri will show me where it is," Hirabayashi replied.

"Okay then," Michiko replied and nodded her head. "See you later, Yurika, Senpai." Then she walked off without another word.

"Yuri, what was that all about? Endou-chan looked very surprised to see the two of us alone together. Didn't you say you talked to her about us already?" Hirabayashi replied.

"It's not the right time," Yurika simply said.

"Not the right time, what do you mean?" Hirabayashi replied. "You and Endou-chan have been best friends since…well forever. Don't you think she would be happy for us?"

Yurika grunted. "Do you seriously not understand anything? Even after all these years?"

"What are you talking about?" Hirabayashi replied in a confused manner.

"God, you can be so dense," she replied in a frustrated tone. "Let's just eat our lunch, okay? We can talk about this later."

"Alright, fine," Hirabayashi replied, still confused as to what exactly he had done wrong. The couple then continued to eat their lunch in silence. An awkward tension appeared to have been left behind in Michiko's wake.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

Michiko trudged away from Yurika and Hirabayashi. She walked and walked until she was sure she was completely alone, and not a soul could bear witness. And then she broke down and started to cry. She leaned against a tree for support, but soon her legs buckled underneath her weight and she fell to the ground while sobbing her eyes out. She made sure to quiet her sobs so no one would accidently overhear her, but her tears still poured from her eyes in great amount and showed no signs of stopping. It was all beginning to become too much for the poor girl. She'd felt this way ever since the school year began and she was elected Student Council President. She'd run an honest and fair campaign in her previous year and because of her kind and hard-working nature she had won by an impressive gap. Every student and teacher thought she was perfect for the job, and she did as well at one point. But since then she had grown to doubt herself with each passing day.

An anonymous blog called Yousha Unmasked was posted online by someone going under the moniker of Gentlemen Mask. Judging by Gentlemen Mask's first post, it was clear that he was upset with Yousha Academy in more ways than one. He complained how delinquents and degenerates had ruined this school's once fine reputation due to Headmaster Miyazaki's caring policy and belief in second chances for all. Yousha Academy originally started out as a for profit private school, and like any highly-esteemed private school, the tuition to attend was other-worldly. But it only held that upper class system for the few short years in its founding, after which Headmaster Miyazaki changed and became more generous and began to offer scholarships to promising students from other schools. And that generosity kept evolving until Yousha Academy became known as the school of second chances. An orphanage program was founded and any poor orphaned youths were provided with boarding, housing, and education free of charge. And soon other schools that held the prestige Yousha once held began to use it as a dumping ground for their more "disappointing" students. Students who scored lower than average on exams, or who couldn't keep up with the expectations forced upon them, or even troublemakers who acted out because they didn't see any point in working hard at a school who only saw them as a number. Yousha welcomed students from all walks of life, and a lot of people were grateful for that.

Michiko and Yurika, who grew up in Yousha's orphanage program were among the many who were deeply indebted to the academy and felt pride to be a student there. Michiko fell in love with this school from the very first moment she set foot on the campus all those years ago. Which is why she couldn't understand why this faceless individual, this Gentlemen Mask, hated Yousha so much. Anyone who took a good look at the people on his blog, would only see that coming to Yousha Academy helped them in more ways than one. The academically challenged received extra help when they requested it and had dramatically improved their grades, and even the delinquents and trouble makers who were accepted began to slowly turn their lives around. Yousha was a safe haven, and yet Gentlemen Mask couldn't see that. Instead he wanted to open the wounds of the students who were saved by Yousha. And since then the Student Council as well as the teachers and faculty of the academy had been working tirelessly to find Gentlemen Mask and stop his blog before it could damage the reputation of anymore students. But so far that task had been proven all for naught. A total of twenty students, Takuya Miyazaki being the latest addition, had been viciously slandered and victimized by Gentlemen Mask for mistakes or tragedies that occurred in their past.

And Michiko, being the Student Council President, felt that it was all her fault. If she had only worked harder and cared even more, then maybe she would have found out Gentlemen Mask's identity by now and stopped him from disrupting the peace at Yousha Academy. Jackal Sario Sixx had made that very clear to her today. She was a useless Student Council President.

To make matters worse, a member of her own club killed herself and Michiko had no idea as to the reason why. Haruna Iwasaki, a once promising violist, was cut down in her prime by a vicious world. And Michiko being the club president didn't even know how depressed she was on the inside. She was a useless club president as well.

And now, it had been made abundantly clear to her that the only boy she ever truly had feelings for was in love with another girl, and to make matters worse it was her best friend. She wasn't blind, she knew what was going on. Yurika had been acting increasingly secretive as of late, and whenever Michiko had free time and wanted to hang out with her best friend, Yurika would blow her off and say she already had plans. Michiko had suspected for a while now that Yurika had a boyfriend, but to think it would be the one boy that she liked, her old senpai in the orchestra club, Reisuke Hirabayashi. And to make matters even worse, she was jealous of Yurika. More than jealous actually, green with envy. Her heart ached in sadness and pain, and at the same time she felt a white hot blaze burning in the pit of her stomach. She was angry. She hated Yurika for stealing away the one boy that Yurika knew she loved. And yet she was her best friend. Michiko hated the feelings that she had at that moment. How could she hate her best friend so much? How could she be so envious of her? How could she be sobbing and wallowing in despair when her best friend was in a loving relationship? 'I'm such an awful person, I'm completely awful,' she thought to herself. It turned out she was useless at love and friendship too.

'I don't want to feel this way! I hate this! I hate this!' Yurika came to her mind, and her vision turned completely red. She gripped the grass on the ground tightly in her hands. 'Why?! Yurika, why?! How could you do this to me?!' she inwardly exclaimed as she muffled her sobs. "Yurika…I…I…" she stuttered. Suddenly her tears began to dry, and she came to her senses. Michiko stood back up on her feet and then simply glared at the tree. "I…hate you." The fire inside of her grew and turned dark. "I hate you," she repeated her words. Then overcome by anger she shouted at the top of her lungs, "I hate you! I hate you! I want you to die!" She ripped off her red friendship bracelet and then threw it on the ground. Then Michiko went on to stomp the bracelet endlessly in the ground. "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" Then Michiko calmed herself down and simply glared at the crushed bits of the friendship bracelet that was left behind. "This isn't over," Michiko simply said to the bracelet, imagining that it was Yurika herself that she was stomping on. Then she left in a huff. It appeared that all of the frustration that had been building up inside of Michiko finally came bubbling to the surface. And she was ready to let it all out on Yurika.

An unknown person chuckled from the distance, and after Michiko was long gone, a boy appeared from behind one the trees. The boy had fair skin and a bit of a fit physique; he also had short, black spiky hair, which appeared to be dyed over his original hair color, which was blonde judging by the few leftover strands of yellowish-gold underneath his dye job, and a pair of piercing purple eyes. He wore the standard Yousha Academy boy's uniform, but he appeared to be wearing a black undershirt instead of a white one. It seemed like he was eavesdropping on Michiko's personal moment while hiding from behind the tree. "I was a little upset when those two went to Limbo without me yesterday but I'd say after paying witness to this little spectacle alone, I have the upper hand in knowledge. That darkness is unmistakable; Ms. President's Shadow is growing by the minute. Won't be long now until she starts hearing the voice." He pleasantly sighed. "That brings back memories. Wonder if she'll be worthy of getting her own Persona."

He chuckled again. "Yeah right, like anybody as weak as her would be worthy of obtaining such power. She'll be Shadow bait in no time for sure, and from the looks of it she's got a nasty one too. Oh well doesn't matter much, I'll crush it in no time at all. And if the weak little president suffers from a mental shutdown and becomes a lifeless husk, hey no skin off my nose," the boy said to himself as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he chuckled mischievously. He smiled wickedly. "I'm going to destroy them all. Every single one of those disgusting Shadows, and then I'll be strong enough to take a shot at Prospero and prove who the real king of Limbo is. And I'll crush anyone who stands in my way. No one makes a fool out of me and lives to tell the tale."

"In the meantime though, I'd love to watch how this all unfolds. Orchestra club's going to be a lot more hectic now that's for sure," the boy said to himself.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

Takuya made his way up to the roof of the high school building for his meeting with Ayuka Yamasato. And upon reaching the roof he took in the area around him. The roof was pretty barren for the most part, but from the looks of it, students came up here pretty frequently. There was a large chain link fence surrounding the rooftop and several benches scattered here and there. Though at the moment it looked like there was only one person up there besides Takuya, and that was Ayuka herself. She was sitting on one of the benches that leaned up against the chain link fence, and when she saw Takuya, she waved him over. "Takuya, over here."

Takuya walked over to Ayuka and then sat down beside her. "Hey, it's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too. We went through so much excitement together, it's kind of hard to believe that it was all just yesterday, eh?" Ayuka replied with an added giggle.

"You can say that again. I slept like a log last night. I could only imagine how exhausted you were, you being the only one without spiritual power," Takuya replied.

"It's okay, I felt better after I got home and took a well-deserved nap. But do me a favor and don't drag me off to that place without my okay again," she added and sweatdropped.

"You've got it, and again I'm really sorry for everything you went through," Takuya replied. Then he decided to change the subject. "So what exactly did you need to talk to me about?" he asked.

"Oh, well…umm, wait," she replied and then turned to dig around in her school bag. She pulled out two bento boxes and then handed one to Takuya. "I'd feel bad if you wasted your lunch break over me, so why don't we talk about it while we're eating?"

Takuya looked at the bento box Ayuka offered him in confusion. "You made me lunch?"

"Oh, yeah…I guess I did," Ayuka replied in an embarrassed tone. She blushed. "Funny, I didn't even think twice when I was making it, I just thought I wanted to have lunch with my friend so I whipped something up for the both of us. I guess it is kind of a weird thing to do though, huh?"

Takuya smiled and accepted the bento box. "No, I don't think it's weird, we're just two friends having lunch together. And you were nice enough to make something yourself. Thank you, I bet it's really delicious."

Ayuka returned Takuya's smile. "You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it; I wasn't really sure what kind of foods you liked so I just made a meal with a little variety. Whatever you don't like you don't have to eat."

Takuya opened up his bento box and a tantalizing aroma immediately hit his nostrils. "It all smells so good. If you don't mind I think I'm going to eat every bit of it."

Ayuka giggled in delight. "That makes me happy, I hope it tastes as good as it smells." Ayuka opened her own bento box and prepared to eat as well. "Thank you for the food," she said to herself.

"Thank you for the food!" Takuya exclaimed as he grabbed his chopsticks and immediately dug into Ayuka's handmade lunch. One bite and Takuya was hooked. He was practically crying tears of joy. "So good. Oh it's so good," he murmured to himself.

Ayuka giggled again. "Glad to hear it."

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

When Takuya finally finished his lunch he put down his bento box and let out a fulfilled sigh and rubbed his stomach. "That was so tasty. Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"I just sort of picked it up here and there. My parents aren't home that often so sometimes I have to make my own meals," Ayuka explained as she also put her bento box away in her bag. "I'm really glad you liked it, to be honest this is the first time I've ever had someone else taste what I make." Then she collected Takuya's bento box and put it away in her bag as well.

"So now that we've eaten, what did you want to talk about?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka sighed and looked down at the ground. "I…I wanted to ask you a question. Well, it's more like a favor actually."

"Okay, what do you need?" Takuya replied.

"Yesterday, you and Shinichi said that people who have passed away haven't been able to move on for quite some time. At least a year and a half, right?" Ayuka asked.

"Yeah, that's right. But it could easily be longer, there's no real way to tell," Takuya replied.

"Then in that case, I think…I think…" Ayuka was uneasy about something, Takuya could tell. "I think my brother might be in the same situation as those other people."

"Your brother?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"He died a little over two years ago, and ever since then I've had this feeling deep down in my heart. The feeling that something wasn't right, that my brother was still in pain even after having passed. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me for the longest time, I shook off those doubts and proudly proclaimed that my brother wasn't suffering anymore. He was finally at peace. But…" Ayuka tightly clasped her hands together as she struggled to say what she needed to say. "What I experienced yesterday has opened my eyes to a brand new world, and it pangs me to think that my brother has been trapped in that place for the longest time. If I'm right, then that means he's been suffering alone all this time. He must be so scared."

"You want me to find out if your brother is in Limbo, right?" Takuya guessed.

Ayuka nodded. "I realize that it may be a troublesome request, but I just can't shake my worries that he needs help. Even if there's only the slightest chance, I…"

"I understand, don't worry. If your brother is trapped inside Limbo, then Shinichi and I will save him for sure," Takuya replied without a second thought.

Ayuka was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, what did you think I'd say no? We're friends, which means your problems are my problems. So I'll help you find your brother and I'll make sure that he can finally rest in peace," Takuya replied.

Ayuka smiled. "Thank you, thank you so much."

"Seriously? Why are you taking on more missions when we haven't even cleared our first one yet?" a familiar voice asked.

Takuya and Ayuka looked up and were surprised to see Shinichi hovering overhead. Shinichi waved. "Hi."

Takuya and Ayuka both yelped in surprise and jumped off the bench. "Shinichi, what the hell?! You nearly gave us heart attacks!" Takuya exclaimed.

"S-Si-Since when can you fly?" Ayuka stuttered.

"I can't really fly, just sort of hover," Shinichi replied and then lowered himself down on the bench. "I'm glad I finally found you guys, you had me looking all over the high school building for you." Then he smirked. "But seriously? Eating lunch together alone on the roof? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were having a date."

"…" Takuya and Ayuka both blushed.

"Geez, aren't you supposed to be following you-know-who? Why did you come looking for me?" Takuya replied.

"You-know-who?" Ayuka repeated in confusion.

"Never you mind, it's official Grim Reaper business," Shinichi replied in a playful tone. Then he turned to Takuya. "And for your information, I lost track of you-know-who after classes got out for lunch break. So far things were pretty uneventful, oh but you-know-who did try and break up a fight that was occurring in their class a little while ago. This punkish girl was out for blood before you-know-who stepped in, after that they had a conversation in the stairwell and you-know-who looked a little depressed afterwards. Since things were a little lax on that end I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to do some more digging on Yanasai," Shinichi explained. "I came to find you and tell you about what I found out."

"You found out more about Yanasai?" Takuya replied.

"Yanasai? Wait, are you talking about Ryuta Yanasai? What does he have to do with all of this?" Ayuka asked.

"You know him?" Takuya asked.

"Only through rumors, I've never talked to him personally," Ayuka replied. "Didn't you hear about the awful things they've posted about him online? They're calling him a killer."

"A killer?" Takuya was surprised. "Fuyumi mentioned that he had a criminal record, but she never said anything about him killing anyone."

"It's probably only half-true at best," Ayuka replied. "I don't pay attention to rumors and gossip like that, that much. But I've heard some of the other girls in my class talk about it. That blog, Yousha Unmasked, is mainly responsible for everything that's been said about him. From what I hear, there's also some pretty nasty stuff in there about you too, Takuya," Ayuka replied with a frown.

"Yeah, I've heard about that too," Takuya replied with a matching frown.

"Well anyway, I found Yanasai's homeroom. He's in Class 2-C, if anybody knows where he might've gone it'd probably be one of his classmates. What was the name of that person on his calendar?" Shinichi asked.

"Kirishima, apparently the two of them had cleaning duty together today," Takuya replied.

"Yeah, I figured we can talk to them about Yanasai. They might be able to provide more information," Shinichi replied.

"Okay, that's a pretty good lead," Takuya replied. "I guess I can forgive you for wandering off again."

"You guys still haven't answered my question. What does Yanasai have to do with this exactly?" Ayuka asked.

"Sorry, again official Grim Reaper business. For now, it's best that you know as little about our activities as possible," Shinichi replied.

"What? You guys promised to keep me in the loop," Ayuka replied in an upset tone.

"We will, but let us get these things sorted out first. I'll fill you in on everything once things have calmed down a little bit. And don't worry, if your brother is in Limbo we'll find him. You have my word," Takuya replied.

Ayuka sighed in exasperation. "I suppose I have no choice but to trust you. Fine, but I'm not going to be kept in the dark. After everything that happened yesterday, I'd say I more than deserve to be in on all of this. I expect you to fill me in when your situation changes."

"You've got it," Takuya replied.

Shinichi nodded. "After all, you're sort of an unofficial member of the team now anyway," he added.

Ayuka smiled in satisfaction. "I like the sound of that." Then the bell rang and interrupted the teenagers' conversation. "Oh looks like lunch break is over, we better go ahead and make our way to the academy's auditorium. That's where that special assembly is being held."

"Oh yeah, do you have any idea what that's about by the way?" Takuya asked as he collected his things.

Ayuka shook her head as she collected her things as well. "No, not a clue. But it must be something very important if they're allowing it to cut into classes."

"How do you get to the auditorium from here by the way?" Takuya asked in an embarrassing tone. "I'm still getting used to the campus."

Ayuka sighed. "Just follow me, I'll take you there."

"Right, got it. Thanks," Takuya replied. And then the two students walked towards the rooftop door and entered the school building again, leaving Shinichi behind.

"Hey you guys, wait for me!" he exclaimed as he trailed behind them.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Noon**

Upon arriving at the school building where the auditorium was housed, Takuya and Ayuka parted ways and went off to sit with their respective classes. Takuya saw that his classmate, Kyou Kurokami, had saved a seat for him and when he saw Takuya he waved him over. Ayuka had gotten a seat next to Takuya's cousin, Fuyumi Miyazaki, who Ayuka noticed appeared to be a little agitated. Meanwhile, Shinichi had gotten a seat by himself up in the overflow section of the auditorium and was looking down to the events below in a state of curiosity. Then Shinichi saw that he wasn't the only one who decided to get a seat in the empty overflow section, as someone else arrived there as well. It was the mysterious boy known only as Tenshi, he too appeared to be interested in watching the assembly events from afar. 'What's that guy doing here?' Shinichi asked himself. 'Shouldn't he be sitting down there with his class?'

Tenshi felt that someone was watching him and then looked to his right. 'No way, can he see me?' Shinichi asked himself.

And then Tenshi looked away without a word. 'No one else is here, must be my imagination,' he thought to himself.

'Huh, that guy is something else,' Shinichi thought to himself. And then he turned his attention back to the assembly down below.

"Your attention, please! Your attention, please!" one of the teachers exclaimed through a microphone on a podium at the center of the stage, getting the entire auditorium to quiet down. When there was total silence, the teacher continued to speak. "You were called here today under very grave circumstances, which the Headmaster will explain to you in just a moment, after which you will be dismissed for afternoon classes. While you're here, we expect you all to be kind and courteous, and keep your disruptions to a minimum. Please listen and pay close attention to what the Headmaster has to say. That is all. I will now turn things over to Headmaster Miyazaki." Hiroshi Miyazaki walked onto the auditorium stage once he was summoned and then stood still at the podium.

"So that's Takuya's grandfather," Shinichi said to himself. "Looks like a really serious guy."

After a few moments of silence, Hiroshi began to speak. "My precious students, I'm afraid to say that a dark cloud has spread over our dear academy. A dark cloud which you must now be made aware of. Yesterday morning, one of your fellow classmates passed away under circumstances most tragic." The auditorium was immediately made lively by a flurry of murmurs and whispers from the students.

" _Passed away? Someone died? Who?_ " " _Was anyone in class absent today?_ " " _Not that I can think of._ " " _What happened?_ " Then after a few more moments of commotion, the teachers managed to calm down their respective classes and Hiroshi continued his speech.

"I've been told that discussing the death in detail would be unnecessarily cruel, not only to you but to the student's loved ones as well, so I will say only this. The police have ruled the death, a suicide." He scoffed. "Suicide, an ugly term which I'm ashamed to say the world is all too familiar with. The murder of one's self, it may actually be the cruelest and most painful death of all. Too many people suffer this similar fate year after year, for many different reasons, but usually with the same ending. The victims feel that there is no other way out of the situation they find themselves in, but by removing themselves from the picture entirely. When I think of how that student must've felt, being in such a dark place, I feel nothing but grief. We here at Yousha are not just students and teachers, we are a family. And yesterday a member of our family was taken away from us. So today we shall mourn her death, and cry over her loss, because to lose even one member of our precious family, is a tragedy." The red velvet curtain that hung behind Hiroshi unfurled and revealed a large memorial altar complete with many flowers and candles. And at the very center of the altar was a memorial portrait of the deceased. She was a smiling, happy girl with short blue hair and brown, square framed glasses that covered a pair of light blue eyes. This was Haruna Iwasaki, a second year straight A student, and a very talented, and promising violist.

Ayuka's eyes widened. "I-Iwasaki-san?!" She scanned the rows in front of her and then her eyes landed on Yurika Owari, who also appeared to be shocked beyond words. "No. No. No. No," Ayuka said to herself over and over again.

In a desperate attempt to calm down Ayuka, Fuyumi grabbed ahold of her hand and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, it's okay. Calm down," she said in a soft tone.

"…" Ayuka didn't reply, she just began to look down at the floor in disbelief.

"…" Tenshi also seemed to be shocked beyond belief. He began to shake and then he slammed his right fist down hard on the overflow section's railing. "Dammit," he muttered to himself, getting the attention of Shinichi.

" _That's Haruna-chan!_ " " _No way, Iwasaki's dead?!_ " " _She killed herself?! Is this for real?!_ " " _Wow, I never expected her to do something like that. I guess you can't judge a book by their cover._ " The teachers once again had to calm down the students before Hiroshi could continue.

"Haruna Iwasaki, I'm sure many of you knew her. She was a beautiful, intelligent, kind, charming, and talented young lady. I'm glad that I had the privilege of meeting such an extraordinary person, and for those you who had done the same, I'm sure you feel the same way. So today, we should not just focus on her death, but remember the life that this young lady led, the lives she touched, and the memories we shared with her." He sighed. "Let us celebrate her life, not her death. Her loss is a great one, so let us not take it for granted. Let us make sure that a tragedy of this magnitude does not happen again by becoming a greater part of each other's lives. Let her death be a lesson to you all. The worst thing we can do is nothing. Let us make sure that her death was not in vain, instead let it bring us closer together and make sure that no one is ever as alone as she felt she was. I repeat, don't let her death have been for nothing. Now allow me to ask Michiko Endou-san to come up to the stage and give us a few words." Hiroshi excused himself and then a few moments later Michiko took his place at the podium.

"First of all, let's bow our heads and have a brief moment of silence for our dearly departed classmate and friend," Michiko instructed. The entire auditorium obliged, including Shinichi and Tenshi who were up in the overflow section. After a few moments of silence Michiko opened her eyes and then continued speaking. "I didn't know Iwasaki-chan as well as I should have, the girl I remember was always smiling and laughing, and kind and earnest to a fault. Which is why it pangs me so much that I didn't know how she really felt on the inside. I wish that I could get another chance at getting to know her, and maybe help her get through her troubles and make her see that there was another way out of the darkness that surrounded her. I'll regret not being more close with her every day for as long as I live. I will not let her death be in vain. I swear to you, as Student Council President of Yousha Academy, I will honor her by making sure no student ever feels the way that she felt ever again. Because I don't believe she took her own life, I believe she was murdered by malice and cruelty. And I will expose the darkness that's hiding within this school at all cost, and that includes Gentlemen Mask and others like him. I will not let them get away with this."

'Senpai?' Fuyumi thought to herself. She had never seen this side of Michiko before.

'What's gotten into her?' Akio Handa thought to himself. He was clearly unnerved as well. This fire that was burning inside of Michiko was a new thing entirely.

"I'd like to thank students and faculty for volunteering to put this beautiful altar together to honor Iwasaki-chan. I'm sure it would've meant a lot to her. The Headmaster has also asked me to inform you that the altar will be here in the auditorium for an indefinite amount of time. So please, if you would like to pay your respects or even say something in private to Iwasaki-chan, don't hesitate. The auditorium doors are always open. That's all I have to say, I will now turn things back over to the Headmaster." Michiko stepped down and Hiroshi took her spot at the podium again.

"At this time, students may now return to their afternoon classes. Please be kind and courteous to those around you while exiting the auditorium. With that in mind, you're dismissed." Hiroshi got up off the stage and students began slowly exiting the auditorium, while murmuring things to one another.

"That was heavy, wasn't it? I wasn't expecting the assembly to be about that," said Kyou.

"Yeah, it's a tragedy, alright," Takuya replied as he walked side by side with Kyou.

Meanwhile, Ayuka refused to move from her seat. "…" she still appeared to be too shocked to speak.

"Yamasato-san, aren't you coming back to class?" Fuyumi asked.

Ayuka nodded. "Eventually, I…I just need a moment alone with Iwasaki-san, right now."

Fuyumi frowned. "Okay, I'll explain things to the teacher. You take as much time as you need." Takuya couldn't help but look back at his cousin and Ayuka as Kyou and the rest of his class exited the auditorium.

'Ayuka?' he thought to himself.

"Hey, Miyazaki-kun?" someone called out to him. Takuya turned around and saw that it was Hope who addressed him. "Aren't you coming back to class?"

"Oh, yeah. Hold on, I'm coming," Takuya replied. He took one last at Ayuka out of concern and then followed after Hope.

Meanwhile, Shinichi, who was still looking up from above in the overflow section, prepared to follow after Takuya. "Well guess there's nothing left for me here, might as well go check and see how he's doing."

Then he heard a loud metallic banging sound and he turned to see that Tenshi had once again slammed his fist down upon the overflow section's guard railing. "Stupid girl. There's no justice in suicide. Didn't I tell you that? Why? Why didn't you listen to my warning? I spoke from experience. Dying doesn't end your pain, it just makes you feel more of it." Tenshi scoffed and shook his head. "You're just like me now, you're completely lost in the darkness."

"Warning?" Shinichi repeated in confusion. "Wait, did he know that Iwasaki girl?"

Tenshi looked in Shinichi's direction again. "Who's there?"

"What the fuck?" Shinichi replied.

"I know someone's there. Show yourself," Tenshi said.

"…" Shinichi stayed silent.

After a few moments, Tenshi sighed. "I'm letting my paranoia get the best of me again. I must be tired. That seems likely, I've been up for about thirty-two hours straight now. I should get back to my room and rest," Tenshi said to himself. Then he walked off and left Shinichi alone by himself.

"I wasn't imagining things before, he really can sense me. I don't think he can see or hear me, but he definitely knows that I'm here." Shinichi sighed. "I better talk to Takuya about him too. That guy's trouble, I can feel it." Then he frowned. "But still, I can feel something else too. That pain, that suffering. I'm all too familiar with it." He looked to the direction that Tenshi went in. "I wonder…"

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Afterschool**

The rest of the school day was pretty much uneventful for Takuya. The biggest thing that happened in afternoon classes was that Mr. Gasai called on him to answer a question that he was completely clueless about. And before Takuya knew it, his first school day was over.

"Alright, everyone is dismissed," said Mr. Gasai. "Oh except for you, Kurokami-san. Don't think I've forgotten about today's latest tardy."

Kyou groaned. "Yes, Sensei."

"You're dismissed as well Hirabayashi-kun, since today's your first day I'll let you off easy on the paperwork. But be prepared to work like a maniac tomorrow after classes end," Mr. Gasai said with an upbeat smile.

Hirabayashi visibly shivered. "Yes, sir."

Then everyone began to get ready to leave, with the exception of Kyou, who had to discuss his punishment with Mr. Gasai. Takuya packed up his things and then gave a sympathetic look to Kyou. "Just pray that he's lenient."

"Not Gasai, trust me, he seems like a care-free guy but he's a demon. If I survive, I'll see you tomorrow," Kyou replied.

"Later," Takuya replied as he exited the classroom. Upon opening and closing the classroom door, Takuya was immediately met with the appearance of Shinichi.

"How'd class go?" Shinichi asked, startling Takuya and making him jump.

"Didn't I tell you not to do that?!" Takuya harshly whispered.

Shinichi snickered. "Sorry, force of habit. Anyways, are you ready to go find Yanasai?"

Takuya nodded. "We have to save him, if his situation is anything like what happened to us he could be in grave danger," he whispered in reply.

"Alright then, I think it's better if we stick together from here on out. Wherever you go, I'll follow. Think of me as your ghostly shadow," Shinichi replied as he began to hover off the ground. "Classroom 2-C's right next door, let's go talk to this Kirishima person."

Takuya nodded and then the two boys made their way to Ryuta's homeroom class.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Afterschool**

Upon reaching Classroom 2-C, Takuya and Shinichi saw that most of the students had already left. One of the only students left was a girl with pale skin, brown eyes, and brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She caught Takuya and Shinichi's attention because she was currently sweeping the classroom floor with a broom and dustpan. "Excuse me?" Takuya called out to the girl.

The girl looked up and saw that Takuya had addressed her. "Yes?"

"Are you Kirishima-san?" Takuya asked.

The girl nodded. "I'm Noriko Kirishima, yeah. Who are you?"

"My name's Takuya Miyazaki, I'm a transfer student. You were supposed to do cleaning duty with Ryuta Yanasai today, right?"

Kirishima frowned. "I was, until he totally flaked on me. What about it?"

"I'm a friend of Yanasai's, I've been looking all over but I can't seem to find him," Takuya replied, making up an excuse. "A couple of your classmates told me that he had cleaning duty with you today so I was wondering if you've seen him."

Kirishima shook her head. "He didn't show up for classes at all today, and the teacher neglected to assign someone else to help me so I'm stuck cleaning the classroom all by myself. When you find him, do me a favor and tell him off for me would you?"

"I'm sure he has a good reason for being absent," Takuya replied in a nervous manner. 'Like being trapped in another dimension for example,' he thought to himself.

"I'm not faulting him for being absent, honestly I'm surprised he hasn't skipped out on classes before now considering how things are for him. I just wish he would've told me in advance. Honestly, that's what bugs me the most," Kirishima replied.

"I've heard there are certain rumors about him floating around. They're saying that he killed someone. Do you know if that's true?" Takuya asked.

"Well maybe half-truthful, I mean there has to be at least a little truth to any rumor, right?" Kirishima replied. "But before those rumors started and he got posted on that blog, everyone was fine with Yanasai-kun." Then she sighed. "But afterwards things changed, people started avoiding him and barely anyone in the class would talk to him."

"What about you?" Takuya asked.

"Like I said, Yanasai-kun's a decent guy. So what if there are some shady rumors about him? Everyone's got a skeleton or two stowed away in their closet. I do know that it was starting to take a toll on him though. For the past few weeks he's been looking increasingly depressed," Kirishima replied.

"Depressed? Huh, when I talked to him last he seemed jokey and in good spirits," Takuya replied. "I guess that was just a front."

"You said you were his friend, right? Then you should know about his situation better than I do," Kirishima replied.

"I actually only met him this past weekend, I didn't really know that much about him but after hearing all these things I've made up my mind to help him out. That's why I'm looking for him, right now," Takuya replied.

Kirishima grew concerned. "You look really worried about all this. Did something else happen to Yanasai-kun?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Takuya replied.

"Do you think worrying her is the best tactic to gather info?" Shinichi asked.

"We have to find out what she knows, no matter what," Takuya whispered in reply.

"H-Has, Yanasai-kun gone missing?" Kirishima asked in fear.

"Like I said, I don't know, that's why I'm looking for him. I want to make sure nothing bad has happened to him. I've already checked the dorms and the rest of the school grounds, he's nowhere to be found. So I was hoping someone from his class could help me out. Tell me, did Yanasai ever mention a place outside of the campus that he would go to from time to time?"

"…" Kirishima thought about it for a moment before replying. "He did mention having a part-time job once, though he didn't say where."

"I heard that too, apparently it's at some place called Yoshiaki's. Do you know it?" Takuya asked.

"Yoshiaki's?" Kirishima contemplated the name for a second and then her eyes widened in insight. "Oh, that place. Yeah, I know it really well. I pick my little brother up from there afterschool from time to time. I had no idea Yanasai-kun worked there, and my brother sure didn't mention anything about it either."

"Hmm, if this place is a restaurant it must be more popular than we thought," Shinichi added.

"So you do know it?" Takuya replied. "Could you tell me how to get there? Maybe someone there's seen him."

"Sure, take the train to Shibuya and it's about five blocks east of the north exit," Kirishima replied. "It's a small red building, you can't miss it."

"Alright, we've got our location. Let's go check it out," said Shinichi.

"Thanks for everything, hopefully someone there knows where he went off too," Takuya replied. Then he walked off to the door and prepared to exit the classroom before Kirishima stopped him.

"Wait, when you find Yanasai-kun, instead of telling him off, tell him that I forgive him for ditching me and that if he ever needs anyone to talk to, I'd be happy to lend an ear," Kirishima replied in a concerned tone.

Takuya nodded. "You've got it." And then he and Shinichi exited the classroom.

"Alright, looks like we're headed to Shibuya. Hopefully we'll find another clue to Yanasai's whereabouts there," said Shinichi.

"And hopefully we're not too late," Takuya replied.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Afterschool**

Akio Handa knew something was wrong with Michiko. The way she was acting during the assembly was too unlike her not to be a warning sign. Though she seemed to be mourning the loss of one of her club members, he couldn't help but sense an unfamiliar sense of hostility behind the words in her speech. It was as if an intense fire had been lit in her stomach. And Akio, being ever the curious head of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee, was determined to find the cause behind her newfound rage. Which is why he arranged for one of his fellow Student Council members to fetch Michiko and bring her to the Student Council room, so the two of them could have a private chat and he could get to the bottom of this sense of dread he had. He sat alone in the Student Council room while he waited for Michiko to arrive, and after about ten minutes, the Student Council President finally made her appearance.

Michiko opened the door and entered the room, and then she closed the door behind her. "I heard you wanted to talk to me about something," she said to Akio.

"Take a seat," Akio replied as he motioned for Michiko to sit down in the chair across his table.

Michiko did as she was instructed to and then replied, "What's this all about Handa-kun? I thought you called an emergency meeting again, but only the two of us are here."

"I wanted to talk to you in private about the way you acted at Haruna Iwasaki's memorial service," Akio replied.

"Why? Did I say something wrong?" Michiko asked.

Akio shook his head. "No, it's not about anything you said. Personally, I agree with you. Scum like that Gentlemen Mask bastard need to be stamped out. But it's the way you said it that bothers me. For a moment or two, it almost sounded like I was the one who talking up there. You looked angry, really angry. I don't think I can recall a moment where you ever acted like that before. It…" He frowned. "It worried me."

"Worried you?" Michiko replied in a confused manner.

"I realize that recently you've had so much to deal with, and now to top it all off, Haruna Iwasaki's passing…" Akio was cut off.

"Don't say passing. Say what it truly was. Suicide," Michiko said in a cold tone. "Iwasaki-chan is dead because she felt all alone, because this world, this cruel world killed her. Don't demean this tragedy like that."

"…" Akio was surprised at the way Michiko suddenly snapped at him. Then after a moment he regained his composure. "Have you gone to pay your respects to Iwasaki-san yet?"

"No, and I don't plan on doing so until I find out what happened to her. That's the least I can do for her after ignoring her cries for help," Michiko replied.

"Well have you at least talked to someone else about it?" Akio asked.

"Miyazaki-chan, but that was yesterday. So much has happened since then, it almost feels like yesterday was years ago," Michiko replied.

Akio sighed. 'Anyone with half a brain could see she's not doing alright,' he thought to himself. "Maybe, this is just a suggestion mind you, but maybe you should go talk to the guidance counselor."

"I'm fine, I don't need to talk to anyone else," Michiko replied harshly.

"You are clearly not fine," Akio replied in a raised voice. "I'd assume you were fine if you were still crying your eyes out but I haven't seen you shed a single tear since yesterday. You didn't even cry at the memorial service. That's not like the Michiko Endou, I know."

"Maybe I'm just tired of crying, maybe I've finally realized how I should feel. Angry. I'm angry at this world for taking away Iwasaki-chan and I'm angry at myself for not doing anything about it. And now come to think of it there's so much that I'm angry about, I'm starting to see red."

"Endou-san, what's gotten into you?!" Akio exclaimed in concern.

"I already told you! I'm pissed off!" Michiko shouted at the top of her lungs.

"…" Akio was stunned. Never, in the three years that he had known her, had Michiko Endou once raised her voce like that. Then after a few moments of silence he regained his composure and firmly said, "If you come with me, I can take you to the guidance counselor's office right now and we can talk this out."

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm fine," Michiko replied with an icy glare.

"Keep telling yourself that, but I know it's a lie. Someone you knew died, and to make matters worse, it was by their own hand. No one is fine after that," Akio replied.

Michiko scoffed. "I guess if anybody knows what I'm going through it would be you, right?" Michiko asked in a mocking tone.

"…" Akio went silent.

"How about you? How are you feeling? Did today dredge up any old memories?" Michiko asked.

"…" Akio didn't respond.

"What was your brother's name again? Todoroki? He was a talented student just like Iwasaki-chan, right?" Michiko just wouldn't let up. She was taking all of her frustration out on Akio. "How did he die again?"

"Out," Akio simply replied.

"What was that?" Michiko replied.

"Get out. Get out right now," Akio ordered as he lowered his head and stared at the table.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to talk?" Michiko asked in a playful tone.

Akio banged his fists down on the table and then looked up at Michiko. His face had gone all red and puffy, and tears were flowing out of his eyes. "I said get the hell out!" he shouted at Michiko.

"…" Michiko's eyes widened. "I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" When she realized what she had said she tried to apologize but Akio wouldn't have it.

He banged his fists again and shouted even louder. "Get the hell out of here!"

"…" Michiko got up from her seat and left the Student Council room without another word. Immediately afterwards, she felt horrible for the things she had said. Akio was just trying to help her and yet she went out of her way to make him feel even more awful than he probably already was. After all suicide is an especially dark topic when it's committed by a family member. Michiko heard Akio's sobbing from outside the Student Council room, but she didn't have the courage to go back in and apologize. So she left Akio alone to calm down.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Afterschool**

About an hour later, Takuya and Shinichi were in Shibuya searching for the location of Yoshiaki's that Noriko Kirishima had given them before. The boys had gone straight from Classroom 2-C to the train station, so Takuya was still wearing his school uniform and was carrying his school bag. As Kirishima had instructed them to do, they walked five blocks east from the north exit of the train station to find Ryuta's place of employment. At the time they were still under the impression that Yoshiaki's was a restaurant, but that quickly changed when the two boys finally stumbled upon the place in question. Yoshiaki's was a red, one story building that had various artistic murals decorating the outside of it, and that was crammed between two large buildings. Out front was a small, white picket fence and behind that was a large sandy playground, which currently was overrun with elementary schoolers and preschoolers.

"This doesn't look like a restaurant," said Shinichi.

Takuya saw a small sign in front of the picket fence that read, in silly, childish writing:

歓晃 の 認可保育所

(Yoshiaki's Daycare Center)

"No it's not, Yoshiaki's is a daycare," Takuya replied.

Shinichi sweatdropped. "Funny, the one who everyone calls a monstrous killer works at a daycare."

* * *

A/N: It seems the one cursed with the mark of a murderer has a soft spot for young children of man. There are truly multiple sides to this young man. How does his fate entwine with that of our young hero? Stay tuned to find out.


	21. Chapter XVIII

A/N: (Hey, everybody. I know it's almost been two months since my last update. I'm sorry, I've been terribly busy so it took me forever to finish this chapter. But I finally finished it tonight so I figured I wouldn't let you guys wait any longer to see Ryuta's awakening. I really like his design a lot so I'm sure you all will too, a big hand for **Constant-Daze** for creating him. Now unfortunately, I don't know when I'm going to be back as finals are in two weeks so I need to worry about those before I can even think about writing for fun, so hopefully this will satisfy you until then. I'm going to try and have a few chapters done by the end of May and post them on May 29th in celebration of this story's one-year anniversary. But we'll see what happens. Anyways I hope you enjoy this.)

The one they call Ryuta Yanasai. Yes, I can sense it clearly now. His fate is definitely tied to that of our young hero's. Just what kind of aid will he provide our hero with in his quest to restore the balance of life and death. Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XVIII: Scarecrow, the Reaper of fear**

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school**

About an hour later, Takuya and Shinichi were in Shibuya searching for the location of Yoshiaki's that Noriko Kirishima had given them before. The boys had gone straight from Classroom 2-C to the train station, so Takuya was still wearing his school uniform and was carrying his school bag. As Kirishima had instructed them to do, they walked five blocks east from the north exit of the train station to find Ryuta's place of employment. At the time they were still under the impression that Yoshiaki's was a restaurant, but that quickly changed when the two boys finally stumbled upon the place in question. Yoshiaki's was a red, one story building that had various artistic murals decorating the outside of it, and that was crammed between two large buildings. Out front was a small, white picket fence and behind that was a large sandy playground, which currently was overrun with elementary schoolers and preschoolers.

"This doesn't look like a restaurant," said Shinichi.

Takuya saw a small sign in front of the picket fence that read, in silly, childish writing:

歓晃 の 認可保育所

(Yoshiaki's Daycare Center)

"No it's not, Yoshiaki's is a daycare," Takuya replied.

Shinichi sweatdropped. "Funny, the one who everyone calls a monstrous killer works at a daycare."

The sounds of laughter and children at play echoed throughout the air as Takuya and Shinichi observed the goings-on of the daycare center. Then Takuya's eyes landed on an employee of the daycare, who was watching the children from the edge of the playground. She was a girl who appeared to be around Takuya's age; she had gray eyes that were hidden behind a pair of black, square-framed glasses, porcelain skin, and long brown hair that was worn in a single braid that cascaded down her right shoulder. She wore a green apron with a floral pattern design on it, which Takuya assumed was part of Yoshiaki's employee uniform, over a white blouse and a pair of blue jeans; she also wore a pair of comfortable black shoes, and a multi-colored beaded bracelet on her left wrist. "There. If Yanasai does work here, then his fellow employees should know him," Takuya said to Shinichi. Takuya called out to the daycare worker. "Excuse me, Miss?!" he exclaimed while waving her over.

When the daycare worker noticed Takuya she came over to greet him. "Oh hello there," she said in a meek tone. "Are you the elder sibling of one of the children here?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I saw you over there and I just wanted to talk to you."

The daycare worker blushed in embarrassment. Then she started to nervously rub her left arm. "Oh, I…I see. Umm…I'm sorry, you seem very nice but…I'm kind of interested in someone else so…" Takuya cut her off when he realized her mistake.

"Oh no, no, it's nothing like that either," Takuya replied. "I wanted to ask you if a friend of mine worked here. I had heard that this was the place, but I just wanted to make sure. His name is Ryuta Yanasai."

"Oh!" The girl seemed even more embarrassed. "I…I'm so sorry for jumping to conclusions." Then she meekly smiled. "So you're a friend of Yanasai-san? It's nice to meet you, I'm Madoka Ikari."

"Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya quickly said as his introduction. "So Yanasai does work here?" Takuya replied. "He was supposed to show up for work today, right?"

Madoka nodded. "Yes, Yanasai-san was on shift today. He was actually supposed to be working with me, but he never showed up. Has something happened to him?"

Takuya sighed. "Actually, I don't know. I came here hoping to find him but it looks like you haven't seen him either. We go to Yousha Academy together, we're actually neighbors in the same dorm. And for whatever reason, he never came back last night."

"Oh no, Yanasai-san is missing?!" Madoka exclaimed in an alarmed tone. "Ms. Yoshiaki, our manager, said that Yanasai-san was supposed to work yesterday too but he never came then either. She just assumed that he had come down with a cold and had forgotten to call in sick. But to think it would be something so serious."

"I got worried when he didn't show up for classes today either, so I thought I'd go looking for him. That's how I found out about this place actually," Takuya replied.

"Oh dear, I hope nothing bad has happened to him. Have you called the police yet?" Madoka asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, I wanted to see if I could find him first before getting the police involved. I wouldn't want to have them running around looking for him if it really turns out to just be nothing. I haven't heard anything back from his family yet, so for all I know he just went back home and didn't say anything. Tell me, did Yanasai have any places that were special to him that he would go to occasionally?" Takuya made his best effort to try and calm Madoka's nerves while he pumped her for information. He knew where Ryuta really was after all, but in order to find him in Limbo he needed to know as much about Ryuta as possible.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Madoka replied. "Yanasai-san was never really that forthcoming about himself. It took a few weeks before I even learned what school he went to."

"Big Bro Ryuta didn't really get out that much, he told me the only place he came to frequently was here," said another person. Takuya and Madoka saw that three kids had approached them and apparently they had been eavesdropping on their conversation. There were two boys and one girl. The boy on the left had short black hair that was parted on the side, blue eyes, and pasty skin and freckles; he wore a blue hoodie over a white T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red and black shoes. The girl on the right had short, neck-length light brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin; she wore a sleeveless green and white striped T-shirt, a pair of black Capri pants, and a pair of pink and white shoes. The boy in the middle, who was the one who spoke up, had spikey brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin; he wore a red and white sports jersey T-shirt with the #1 on it, a pair of green cargo shorts, a pair of white and black sneakers, and a pair of blue sports goggles which were worn on his forehead. "Is Big Bro Ryuta really missing?"

"Ryo-kun, you know it's not nice to interrupt people when they're talking," Madoka scolded the boy.

"But if something happened to Big Bro we have the right to know," the boy named Ryo, replied.

"Did something bad happen to him?" the other boy asked.

"Is he in some kind of trouble?" the girl asked.

"Kenta-kun, Hiyori-chan," Madoka said the kids' names out of concern.

"Huh, looks like Yanasai was really well-liked here," Shinichi replied, though of course only Takuya could hear him.

Takuya decided to address the kids. "Do the three of you know Yanasai really well?"

The boy named Kenta, nodded. "Big Bro is awesome. He always plays whatever we want and even if he gets really tired he never lets it show, he just laughs it off and continues playing with us."

Takuya chuckled. "That sounds like Yanasai alright. Ever the jokester that one."

"But Big Bro's also really kind and gentle too," the girl, named Hiyori added. "One time a bird injured one of its wings and crashed down into the playground. Nobody knew what to do to help it, but Big Bro said something similar happened to him and his little sister once and he learned how to help. He showed us how to nurse it back to good health and mend its wing and then a week later he set it free outside and it flew again."

"He's the coolest," Ryo added. "I'm an only child and my parents both work a lot, so I'm almost always alone. And because I got so used to being on my own I was never really good at making friends. Big Bro, he was kind of the first person to ever really get me to come out of my shell. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met Kenta or Hiyori here. To me, he's like an actual big brother. Which is why I can't just do nothing if something bad has happened to him."

"…" Takuya was silent for a moment before he nodded in understanding. "Yanasai seems to mean a lot to you all. I bet it's the same for a lot of other kids too."

"It is," Madoka replied. "I've only been here for about two months but Yanasai-san has been working here at Yoshiaki's since he first came to Tokyo. Ms. Yoshiaki always says that he's the most popular attendant here. He really is amazing." Then she frowned. "And it pangs me to find out that he might be in trouble."

"Please Onii-san, you have to find Big Bro," said Ryo. "Promise you'll find him and bring him back to us. Please."

"Please, this place won't be the same without him," Kenta pleaded.

"You have to find him," Hiyori pleaded.

Takuya nodded. "Alright, you guys have my word. I'm going to find him and bring him back. And I'm sure when I do, he'll be more than happy to play with you all again."

Ryo held out his right pinky finger. "Pinky swear?"

Takuya reached over the fence and interlocked his right pinky finger with Ryo's. "Pinky swear, I'll find Yanasai and bring him back here to play with all of you again."

Ryo nodded. "Okay, you promised, Onii-san. No takesies-backsies." Then Ryo released Takuya's pinky. "Come on guys, Big Bro wouldn't want us to sulk. Let's all stay positive until he gets back."

"Yeah," Kenta and Hiyori both replied. Then the three kids ran off to rejoin the other children on the playground.

"They're all really sweet kids. I don't have anywhere near as much pull with them as Yanasai-san does though," Madoka joked. "Things just won't be the same here without him. I really hope he's okay," she said in a worried tone.

"Hey, you should take a page out of the kids' book and stay positive. Don't worry, I promised I'd find him, so I'll find him," Takuya simply replied.

Madoka smiled. "Thank you so much, Miyazaki-san. Please bring him back to us safe and sound."

"You've got it," Takuya replied. Madoka nodded before returning to the playground to keep an eye on the children.

"Well it's official now, we can't turn our backs on Yanasai. You made a pinky promise with that kid after all," said Shinichi.

"Yeah, but finding Yanasai might be easier said than done. This place was our last lead, and according to that kid Ryo, Yanasai only ever really came to this place outside of school. He could be anywhere at this point."

"…" Shinichi went silent and simply stared at the daycare center.

"Shinichi?" Takuya called out the ghost boy's name.

"…" but still he was silent.

"Earth to Shinichi? Anyone home?" Takuya replied.

Shinichi realized that Takuya was talking to him. "Oh, umm…sorry, I guess I kind of zoned out there for a second, eh?"

"What's the matter?" Takuya replied.

"I…I don't really know how to explain this but…I feel like there's something else here," Shinichi said as he motioned to the daycare center.

"There's something else here? What do you mean?" Takuya replied, not fully understanding what Shinichi was talking about.

"It's just this weird feeling I have. There's negativity and darkness deep at the heart of this place, I don't know how I know, but I do. I can sense it somehow," Shinichi tried his best to explain things.

"Is it anything like what you said before when you sensed me and Yanasai?" Takuya asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. But whatever it is, it has a much darker feel than you or Yanasai. I think it's something else altogether," Shinichi replied.

Shinichi reached out and touched the air and then suddenly he felt something solid press against his hand. "There's something here, right in front of me." Shinichi tried to walk forward towards the small front gate of the daycare center and a few moments later he immediately stopped. "It's something solid like a wall."

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything but air in front of you," Takuya replied.

"I'm not making this up. There's something really big and sturdy right in front of me," Shinichi replied. Shinichi continued to touch the invisible barrier. "I can't get through no matter what I do. Something's really weird here." Then he turned back to Takuya. "We have to go into Limbo, right here, right now."

"What? Wait, what's the rush?" Takuya replied.

"Trust me, this is something worthwhile, I know it." Shinichi stretched out his hand and motioned for Takuya to take it. "Grab my hand."

"…" Takuya was hesitant at first, but soon he sighed and then accepted his friend's request. He grabbed ahold of Shinichi's hand and then suddenly the two of them disappeared into thin air.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school**

Takuya opened his eyes and then saw that he was once again back in the mysterious world of Limbo. The sky was now an ominous dark gray, and the sun was only a slightly brighter gray so it was really hard to make out. The sun was also in the western part of the sky, a direct opposite to its true eastern position in the living world. The buildings surrounding Takuya were now pure white in color, and the once bustling, busy streets of Shibuya were now dank and barren. Not a soul was in sight. Takuya looked down and saw that he was once again wearing his Grim Reaper outfit. Takuya then looked to his left and saw that Shinichi was now back to his Phantom form. But despite his obvious height advantage over Shinichi, the ghost boy managed to stay at eye level by floating in mid-air. "So this is how you come to Limbo? You don't even need to use a key?"

Shinichi shook his head. "I've never had use for one before. You and Yanasai are the only people I've actually ever seen who use those tattoo keys to come here," Shinichi replied in his now childish-sounding voice. "But more importantly, check this out," Shinichi replied as he motioned for Takuya to look straight ahead. Takuya did as he was instructed and saw that a large black iron spiked gate was blocking their way. It was standing in the place of the small picket fence gate that Takuya had seen not a few minutes ago.

"Whoa! Where did this thing come from?" Takuya replied in surprise.

"Don't know, but if I had to guess this was what I was sensing back in the world of the living." Shinichi reached out and touched one of the bars of the gate with his small right hand, and then a shiver ran up his spine and he immediately withdrew it. "Boy this thing is bad news, I can feel it."

"And I think I know what it's here for," Takuya replied. Takuya pointed upwards, to a black iron sign that hung over the gate. It read:

 _Here lies the final resting place of Ryuta Yanasai, R.I.P._

"That doesn't bode well for Yanasai. He has to be behind that gate but I can't sense anything beyond it," Shinichi replied.

Takuya looked confused. "What do you mean you can't sense anything?"

"I mean I see that the daycare lies beyond this gate but for some reason I can't sense it. It's almost like it's not really even there. It's really weird, I don't think I've ever encountered anything like this before." Shinichi looked back at the iron gate. "This gate must have something to do with my sensory ability being blocked." Shinichi tried to hover into the daycare grounds by going to the left of the gate, but he was immediately met with resistance. "Ow!" Shinichi replied as he yelped in pain and rubbed his forehead. "I should have guessed; this gate is definitely supernatural in origin. It's completely blocking off the daycare from our reach. We're not going to be able to go inside and investigate until we unlock it."

"So we can't get in anywhere but through the gate, eh?" Takuya replied. He looked down and saw that a large brass, skull-shaped lock was keeping the gate locked. "I wonder," Takuya simply said as he walked forward. Then he stretched out his right arm and pointed it in the direction of the lock. His right arm began to glow brightly, and his bright blue skeleton key tattoo appeared. It glowed bright enough to make out its form even beneath Takuya's hoodie. And then a loud unlocking sound filled the air, and the skull-shaped lock fell off of the gate and then disappeared before it hit the ground. "Ha, thought so. Looks like the only thing that can open these gates are Grim Reapers." He turned to face Shinichi. "Seems like you're going to have to use your key after all."

Shinichi chuckled. "Not if I have you lead the way all the time. Nice work, partner. Now let's go check and see if Yanasai is really in there or not."

Takuya nodded and then he turned back to face the gate. "Alright, here goes nothing." He pushed open the gate and then suddenly a bright white light enveloped the area.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school**

When the light faded Takuya and Shinichi were not prepared to see what lay before them. Shibuya was now gone, and so was Yoshiaki's daycare center. The two Grim Reapers now found themselves in a surprising location; they appeared to be on a small, deserted tropical island. "What the hell?!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise. "Where are we?! What happened to the daycare?!"

"I…I don't know!" Shinichi exclaimed in surprise. "We opened the gate and then suddenly we're here. We must have been transported here or something." The boys briefly looked around their new surroundings; it appeared that the island they were on was completely surrounded by water and any other stretch of land was far beyond their eyes could see.

Takuya crouched down to the ground and shoveled some sand into his hands. "This is too freaky," he said as he examined his handful of sand. "This is actual sand." Then he dropped it back onto the sandy beach. "And that smell, it's definitely sea salt. And the sounds, those are real waves. We're actually on an island."

And then an out of place sound echoed from across the water. Takuya and Shinichi recognized the sound, both of them having heard it quite recently. It was the sound of children at play. "Takuya, do you hear that?" Shinichi asked.

"Yeah, I do. It's the kids from Yoshiaki's. I can still hear them," Takuya replied. "But how?"

"…" Shinichi stayed silent for a moment and then an idea came to him. "Wait a second, I think I understand what's going on here. We didn't get transported to another location when we opened the gate, we just entered the area on the other side."

"What are you talking about? The daycare was on the other side of the gate, not an island. Do you need to get your eyes checked?" Takuya replied.

"No, you're not understanding me. This is the daycare; we've gone on the other side of the gate. This is why I couldn't sense the daycare with the gate keeping us out. Somehow it's become a sector in Limbo that's separated from everything else," Shinichi explained.

"Wait, so we're still at the daycare, and this is just what it looks like in Limbo?" Takuya replied.

"Not exactly, I've explored a lot of Limbo and I've never seen anything quite like this. This place is special somehow, that must be why it looks so odd. It has something to do with that gate. I'm sure of it; I'm just not sure how it all fits together. I mean of all things it could turn into, why an island? It doesn't really make sense," Shinichi replied.

"It must have something to do with Yanasai, right? If we believe what was written on that gate, he's here somewhere so we have to find him. After that, maybe we can start to piece things together. Can you sense him now?" Takuya asked.

"Let me see," Shinichi replied. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, and after a moment or two of silence he opened his eyes again. "Yeah he's definitely here, but the signal I'm getting is much weaker than it was yesterday. And I'm also picking up something dark that's slowly getting stronger not that far from him. We have to move fast; I don't think he's going to last much longer."

Takuya nodded. "Okay lead the way," he replied.

"Got it," Shinichi replied. Then he hovered a short distance away from Takuya and began to concentrate again. Then he pointed forwards, "He's this way, follow me," Shinichi replied as he began to quickly fly off towards the direction Ryuta was in. Takuya quickly followed after him, and the two Grim Reapers began to trek across the surface of the island's beach. And after a few minutes of tracking Ryuta, they came across yet another odd sight. There was a boy who was standing on the beach with his back turned to them. He appeared to be looking out at the horizon over the ocean. "Hey Takuya, check it out," Shinichi whispered. "Is that Yanasai?"

"I don't know, he looks younger than Yanasai," Takuya replied in a whisper. "Could he be a ghost? You said they just stand motionless like that, right?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't feel like a ghost to me. I sense something else from him," Shinichi replied in a whisper.

"Hey kid?" Takuya called out to the boy.

"…" the boy stayed silent and just continued to stare out at the sea.

"Kid?" Takuya called out to the boy again.

"…" It was a few moments before the boy first spoke. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Huh?" Takuya replied.

"You don't belong in this place. I'm the only one who's supposed to be here," the boy replied.

"We sort of came here by accident, we're looking for a friend of ours," Takuya replied.

"A friend?" the boy replied in confusion. "Well there's no one like that here. I'm the only who's on this island. You shouldn't be here for that matter either. Leave now."

"We can't go, not without our friend," Takuya replied.

"You have to go, it's not safe here. If you don't leave you'll probably die," the boy replied.

"Why? Why are we going to die?" Takuya replied.

"…" the boy was silent. Then after a few moments he sighed. "If you stay, I might end up hurting you. I hurt everyone I come into contact with, that's why I exiled myself to this island. I don't want to hurt anyone else so I want to be left alone here forever. That's why you have to go now, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."

"So you're just going to stay here forever? All by yourself?" Takuya asked out of concern.

"It's better that way. As long as I'm here, people don't have to be afraid that I'll hurt them, and I don't have to concern myself with their fears. This place is serene and peaceful, far away from any pain. Why wouldn't I want to stay here?" the boy asked.

"Geez, somebody really did a number on this poor kid," Shinichi whispered to Takuya.

Takuya walked closer to the boy out of concern. "Nobody wants to be alone. Human beings can't properly function in that kind of isolation. It's against our nature to live all alone in the world. You don't really want that do you?"

The boy scoffed. "What do you know about what I want?" Then he turned around and faced the Grim Reapers. Takuya and Shinichi were both shocked to see that the boy was indeed Ryuta Yanasai, or at least a younger version of him. He had black hair that was neatly brushed to the right side of his face and a pair of dull, empty golden eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the two top buttons undone, emerald green pants, and a pair of black socks which appeared to make up part of a school uniform. The boy was sporting bruises on his jaw and forehead which appeared to be from a recent scuffle, and there was blood splatter on his right cheek and on certain spots on his clothing.

"Takuya, those eyes," Shinichi said out of concern.

"A Shadow. It's Yanasai's Shadow," Takuya said as he nodded in reply.

"Who are you guys anyway? Who are you to tell me what I want? I know what I want, I want to live in total peace and solitude, in a world without pain," Shadow Ryuta replied.

"Yanasai, or Shadow Yanasai, you've got to listen to me," Takuya replied. "We came to get you out of here, this place is dangerous, you're not safe here."

"Not safe?" Shadow Ryuta replied and then scoffed again. "For the first time in years there's no one who's whispering behind my back, or giving me those cold, frightened stares. I don't have to concern myself with those people anymore. Here I can be at peace, why would I want to give that up?"

"Look, I don't know what exactly happened to you, but I've been through my fair share of hardships too. Some very similar to yours. So I know how you feel, I used to just want to disappear from my life too. But I've realized that's not the right way to deal with the pain. You have to face it head on, that's the only way you're ever truly going to heal," Takuya explained.

"Face the pain?" Shadow Ryuta shook his head. "No. Wh-Why would I want to do that?" he asked in a scared voice. "I've tried to deal with it before; I've even tried to just ignore it. But no matter what I do, the pain is still there. The fear, the hatred, the despair. It won't go away."

Takuya walked closer to Shadow Ryuta and then he put his hands on his shoulders and crouched down to his level. "Yes it will," Takuya replied in a confident manner. "You've got to look past the bad, and focus on the good. You are stronger than you think you are." He tried to get Shadow Ryuta to look at him. "I know it's hard, but you have to try. Think about all the people who are most precious to you; do you just want to leave them all behind? If you stay here, you won't escape your pain, instead you'll be stuck with it. Because that's all there is on this island, you and your pain. Please, let us help you. Let's find your other half and go back to the real world."

"…" Shadow Ryuta was surprised by Takuya's words. For a moment, it looked like Takuya had won him over. And then the painful whispers that Shadow Ryuta wished to escape appeared and began to weigh heavy on his heart.

" _Your dad's gonna pay for what he did to me! Because of him I lost my job, my home, and my family! Let's see how he likes it when I take away his family from him!_ " an angry masculine voice shouted over the water.

" _Y-You, shitty bra-brat. God-Goddamn y-y-you,_ " the same voice responded in a weaker tone.

Next, two different masculine voices could be heard. The first sounded scared and concerned, and the second sounded gruff and serious. " _Sir, what should we do about the boy? He's admitted to killing the suspect, but he claims that he was just trying to defend his sister. The evidence at the scene supports his statement, but…_ " " _It was still a gruesome killing. A deep slash to the throat, instantly fatal. If these were normal circumstances there would be no question of innocence or guilt, but the victim in this case is a disgruntled former employee of the boy's father. He broke into their house and threatened the boy and his younger sister with violence._ " " _So what do you think we should do?_ " " _Hmm, talk to the boys' parents about therapeutic treatments. It may just be a one-time lapse, but if another hostile situation like this arises the boy could get into even more trouble. His name's Ryuta Yanasai, right? From here on out, it would be best to keep a close eye on him._ " " _Yes sir, right away sir._ "

Then, the voices of two gossiping women could be heard. " _Did you hear what happened to the Yanasais?_ " " _I know, it's awful, isn't it? I don't even know how they'll be able to live in that house anymore._ " " _I can't imagine what their poor daughter must be going through. From what I heard that man was trying to…oh it's just too horrible to even think about._ " " _And then what she saw after that. Did you know her older brother ended up slashing that man's throat?_ " " _No, I didn't hear that! Are you saying that they're still letting him live with them? Hasn't their poor daughter been through enough? Each time she looks at him, she'll probably be reminded of that horrible night._ " " _And just the anger that boy must have had inside of him to do that. If I were his parents, I wouldn't even think twice about sending him away to a psychiatric hospital. There could be something really wrong with him._ " " _You know, my son is actually in the same class as him at school. Maybe I should ask the school board if there's any way to get him transferred to another class. Just to be on the safe side._ "

Then, the voices of several teenage boys could be heard. " _Did you hear? Yanasai killed a guy!_ " " _For real?!_ " " _No way, you've got to be making that up, Ryuta wouldn't harm a fly._ " " _No, it's true, I swear. Apparently it was a home invasion gone wrong, and Yanasai ended up brutally slashing the guy's throat._ " " _Geez, guess you can't judge a book by its cover._ " " _Do you think we should still ask him to hang out with us this weekend?_ " " _I don't know, if what you say is true he clearly has a nasty temper. And people might stare at us if we act so casually around him._ " " _Seriously? That's really heartless, you guys._ " " _Are you saying you wouldn't feel awkward hanging out with him after learning about all of this?_ " " _W-Well, I guess it would feel a little weird but…he's still Ryuta…right?_ "

Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Then he pushed Takuya off of him and onto the ground. "You can't fool me! You're just like everyone else! You say you'll help me but deep down you'll be afraid! They're always afraid!" A large kitchen knife that was caked in fresh blood, suddenly appeared in his right hand. He looked completely crestfallen. "They fear me, and they're right too. I'm a killer, there's no escaping that. I've taken a life, justified or not. Who knows? I could end up snapping again and take another life. Leave now, before I can hurt you."

"That's not true, you don't have to be anything you don't want to be. Don't let them tell you that you're something you're not," Takuya replied while seated on the ground.

"I said…leave!" Shadow Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs. Then suddenly darkness began to blanket the sky; and it was only a matter of moments before the bright sun overhead was completely engulfed by it.

"Wh-What's happening?!" Shinichi exclaimed in terror. "It's like he's completely lost control of his emotions!"

"Go away! You'll leave me alone if you know what's good for you!" Then Shadow Ryuta started running off in the same direction that Takuya and Shinichi were headed in before.

"Hey wait, come back!" Takuya shouted as he got up off the ground to head after Shadow Ryuta.

"Takuya, w-wait for me!" Shinichi exclaimed as he flew as fast as he could to keep up with Takuya.

After a few minutes of running, Takuya had nearly caught up to Shadow Ryuta. But just before he could get him to stop, he was blocked off when a horde of Shadows suddenly rose from the darkness to protect Shadow Ryuta. "Out of my way!" Takuya shouted as he summoned his scythe and began to hack and slash at the Shadows as they surrounded him. Takuya managed to take out quite a few of them while they weren't in their true forms. But it appeared that the Shadows would not stop coming and soon that had gotten the upper hand on him. "Enough of this!" Takuya shouted. "Come forth, Zenbyou." And then he summoned his Persona, Zenbyou, and fought side by side with him. " **Soul Collector!** " Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou's scythe to grow five times in size and glow an exuberant bright blue. They appeared to be making a significant dent in the Shadow forces, but it still wasn't enough. They wouldn't stop coming. "Dammit, there's too many of them!" Even by using his own attacks in tandem with Zenbyou, Takuya was still not able to get rid of them.

"Hang on, Takuya!" Shinichi shouted from behind. "It's my turn to help out! Rise from the ashes, Hitodama!" Shinichi shouted as he summoned his Persona, Hitodama. "Get ready for a power boost! Go, **Fighting Spirit!** " Hitodama snickered in delight before his flames grew in size and intensity, and then suddenly a flaming blue aura began to cloak Takuya's body.

"Oh yeah! Talk about a pick me up!" Takuya shouted. "Zenbyou, **Garu**!" Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at dozens of Shadows. But even with Shinichi's support, the Shadows still did not dissipate, and a few more minutes passed before Takuya was starting to run out of steam again. "Ugh, there's no end to this! What's going on?!" Takuya shouted.

"The Shadows must be really agitated! They won't stop appearing!" Shinichi replied.

Takuya slashed another Shadow into pieces before pulling back. "This is pointless; we've got to try something else."

" _The time has come, Phantasm. Unleash my true power,_ " Hitodama whispered in Shinichi's ear.

"Takuya, Hitodama has an idea! We'll use his last resort skill!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Last resort skill?!" Takuya replied.

"According to him, it can only be used in dire situations because of the strain it'll put on me! But if there was ever a time to use it, it's now!" Shinichi replied.

"Then what are you waiting for?! Do it!" Takuya exclaimed.

"You've got it!" Shinichi exclaimed. Then suddenly the little ghost's eyes began to gloss over and he puffed up his cheeks, and Hitodama's flames began to roar with a newfound intensity and he began to puff up his cheeks as well. Hitodama began to grow at an exponential rate. He grew, and grew, and grew even more until he was the size of a ten-story building.

"Geez, he's freaking huge!" Takuya exclaimed in disbelief.

Then finally Shinichi released his breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, " **Spirit Bomb!** " Hitodama's flames began to roar even more, and suddenly they turned color, from blue to a fiery red.

"Wait did he say bomb?!" Takuya exclaimed. In Takuya's shock Zenbyou disappeared, and Takuya tried to get to the cover of the island trees as fast as he could to escape the predicted blast. Hitodama began to rumble and shake with the intensity of an earthquake and then suddenly everything went white. Then a few moments later an earsplitting explosion echoed through the air and a destructive burst of energy swallowed the beach whole, completely destroying every Shadow that came into contact with it. The earth rumbled and shook for a full minute before there was complete silence once again. Takuya peeked out from his coverage in the island's foliage, and he saw that all the Shadows were now gone and in their place was a colossal crater which scorched the sand black. And in the center of the crater was the fallen body of Shinichi. "Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed as he raced to his friend's side.

Takuya turned Shinichi's little ghost body over and then shouted in his face out of worry. "Shinichi are you okay? Are you still alive?"

Shinichi stirred and then opened his eyes. "No, I'm not alive, dummy. I'm a ghost, remember?"

"Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a vice-like hug.

"Ow! I'm in…great pain…right now!" Shinichi exclaimed in a grated voice.

"Oh sorry," Takuya replied as he let his friend go. "I thought I lost you for a minute there. That was some serious destructive power. You wiped out all the Shadows in one fell swoop."

"Yeah, but Hitodama wasn't kidding about the draining cost of it, I don't even think I can keep myself afloat anymore," Shinichi replied in a weak tone. And then he slowly started to descend to the ground. It appeared that he could no longer hover in the air anymore. "Go on without me, I'm of no use to you in this condition."

"Not a chance, I never leave a man behind," Takuya replied with a chuckle.

"What are you now? A soldier?" Shinichi replied in exhaustion.

"Come on little guy," Takuya replied as picked up Shinichi and placed him on his left shoulder. "There. You think you can hang on?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, I should be able to handle that much at least."

"Alright, you just rest and conserve your energy. I'll find Yanasai." Takuya turned back to face the direction that Shadow Ryuta went off in. "His Shadow went this way so it stands to reason that the real Yanasai is this way too." Takuya nodded as he thought over his assertion. "Hang on tight buddy," Takuya said to Shinichi. Then he began sprinting in the direction that Shadow Ryuta ran off in.

A few minutes later, Takuya and Shinichi finally reached the edge of the island where the beach began to circle around to the other side. And positioned in front of the foliage was an ugly wooden shack that appeared to be decrepit and abandoned. "This looks like the end of the line, unless he did a full circle around the island, I think it's a safe bet that he went in there," said Shinichi. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"If Yanasai is in there we have to save him from his Shadow," Takuya replied.

Shinichi shivered. "I'm getting a bad vibe from this place."

"Be that as it may, we're not leaving without him. Brace yourself," Takuya replied before heading inside of the shack.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE FOR A WHILE AFTER THIS.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE THE GAME NOW?

YES

NO

Yes.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school**

What lied inside the shack was something Takuya and Shinichi did not expect; as far as the eye could see there was blood, gore, and carnage. The color red caked the floor and walls, the scent of rust, death, and putrefaction was overwhelming, and they could even hear the buzzing and squirming of numerous bugs and maggots. Knives and weapons lined the walls and carcasses of God knows what hung from chains dangling from the ceiling. "Wh-What is this place?" Shinichi replied in a petrified tone.

Takuya's expression stiffened and he simply replied, "It's a slaughterhouse." Takuya walked further into the slaughterhouse while Shinichi cowered and cover his head as he held on to Takuya's shoulder. "It's a little unnerving that this place would be part of that peaceful island scenery, eh?"

"I…I don't like it here," Shinichi replied. "Can we…can we go back?" he asked in a stuttered tone.

"Not without Yanasai, he's in here some…" Takuya was cut off when he heard a terrified scream.

"Did you hear that?!" Takuya replied.

"Was that a girl?!" Shinichi replied in an even more terrified tone.

" _Leave her alone, you bastard! Ugh!_ "

" _That bastard Yanasai, he took everything away from me! I'll make him pay! I'll make him pay if it's the last thing I do!_ "

" _Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Onii-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!_ "

" _I'll take away everything from him! Then I can die happy knowing I tore his life to shreds!_ "

" _Stop! Onii-chan, save me!_ "

" _Stop shouting you little bitch! Keep quiet or I'll kill you, your brother, and your whole family! I'll burn your damn house to the ground!_ "

" _No! No! Noooooooooooo!_ "

"Stop it! Enough with this shit!" a familiar person shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Takuya, that's…!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Yanasai!" Takuya replied. Then he ran deeper into the slaughterhouse and eventually he came to a dimly lit area. Ryuta Yanasai was on all fours on the dirty floor, sweating profusely and looking extremely exhausted. Meanwhile, his Shadow stood above him in silence, with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Please, stop this," Ryuta pleaded. "I'm begging you, I can't…I can't take anymore. Get them out! Get these horrible memories out of my head!"

"Yanasai?" Takuya said to himself as he watched the interaction between Ryuta and his Shadow.

"I wish I could help you forget. But I can't. This night is a part of us, like it or not," Shadow Ryuta replied. Then he looked up and saw Takuya and Shinichi. "You two again? Why are you still here?"

"Huh?" Ryuta replied in confusion and turned his head to see the people who his Shadow was addressing. "Who…who are you guys?"

"Yanasai, we've come to help you," Takuya replied. Then he pulled down his hood and showed his face to Ryuta. "It's me, Takuya Miyazaki."

"M-Miyazaki?" Ryuta replied in a weak tone. "What are…you doing here?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain later. For now, we have to get you out of here. This place isn't safe," Takuya replied.

"No, he can't leave," Shadow Ryuta replied.

"What do you mean he can't leave?" Shinichi replied.

"This is the best place for him, you guys keep saying that it's not safe here. But you're wrong, it's the outside world that's not safe," Shadow Ryuta replied.

"What?" Takuya replied in confusion.

"Fear always follows me wherever I go, whether I'm deserving of it or not, whether it's directed towards me or created by me, whether I'm the cause of it or an effect of it. There's nothing but fear." Shadow Ryuta looked down at his host. "You understand what I mean, don't you? For the past two years we've dealt with fear on a daily basis. People stare at you when they think you're not looking, whisper behind your back, spread awful rumors about you without a second thought. Fear is to blame for it all. Stupid, irrational fear. Don't you agree?"

"…" Ryuta was silent.

"You moved away from your home in Nagoya and abandoned your family because you didn't want them to suffer on your behalf. But even after coming to a new school and putting your past behind you, this night still haunts you to this day," Shadow Ryuta explained. "And now everyone knows the truth, Ryuta Yanasai is a killer. It doesn't matter if it was justified, it doesn't matter that you were trying to protect your sister, it doesn't even matter that before that night you were an ordinary kid who hadn't ever so much as gotten a single tardy. Because of that one night, you are a killer and nothing more." Shadow Ryuta scoffed. "It's not fair. It's completely unfair. Why do we have to suffer like this? Why? Why can't the world just look at us like it used to? Why can't we just go back home and start over?" Shadow Ryuta seemed to be getting more and more upset. "Don't you wish that everyone would just disappear? Don't pretend, I know deep down you do."

After a little hesitation, Ryuta admitted that there was some truth to what his Shadow was saying. "Yeah, I do sometimes."

"Then why do you have to go? Why can't you just stay here with me? If you let me in, then I can take you away from the pain. There's a whole other world outside of this dark and bloody place. You're a killer, this is true, but it's not all you are. Don't let people keep telling you that. You're so much more than just a single bloody act of violence," Shadow Ryuta replied.

"Why?" Ryuta asked himself. "Why do I have to live like that?"

"Why indeed?" Shadow Ryuta replied. "Come now, don't you want to be free from your pain? If you accept your moniker and choose to stay here, you won't ever have to deal with that rotten outside world ever again."

"I…I won't?" Ryuta replied in confusion.

Then the voices of the past began to echo throughout the slaughterhouse again.

" _Stop! Onii-chan, save me!_ "

" _Stop shouting you little bitch! Keep quiet or I'll kill you, your brother, and your whole family! Then I'll burn your damn house to the ground!_ "

" _No! No! Noooooooooooo!_ "

"We didn't have a choice in the matter. He was going to hurt Natsu, he was going to hurt our little sister," Shadow Ryuta explained. "Why doesn't anyone understand that we did what we did to stop a real monster? Why do we have to be the one who is branded as a monster? It's not fair, the world isn't fair. It's a rotten cesspool of filth where people are controlled day in and day out by fear. But if we stay here, we don't have to worry about them ever again. We don't have to worry about keeping control, if we really are a monster we can finally be free to roam as we please."

Ryuta got up off of the floor and stood up right again. "Maybe, maybe you're right. Maybe, I am just a killer. Maybe, I should just stay here for the rest of my life. To protect myself and to protect those close to me."

"Yanasai, think about this!" Takuya exclaimed. "Is that what you really want?!To remain alone in this darkness for the rest of your life?!"

"What do you know?!" Ryuta turned around and shouted back at Takuya. "You barely know me! You have no earthly idea what I've seen, what I've gone through!"

"That's right, he doesn't know. He doesn't care. Don't fall for his tricks," Shadow Ryuta replied.

"That's not true! I do care about you, Yanasai! And I may not know all exactly what happened to you but I do know that I went through something similar!" Takuya shouted.

"Takuya," Shinichi said softly.

"I felt alone too. I felt completely lost. People who I didn't even know seemed to hate me and loath my existence. I wondered what I could have possibly done to incur the hatred of those total strangers. And it got so bad that I had to move away just so it wouldn't affect my family. That's the real reason I moved back to Tokyo after all these years. Like you, I was running away from the pain," Takuya explained.

"…" Ryuta was silent as he listened to what Takuya had to say.

"But look what happened? The pain followed me, now like you, everyone at school knows my past too," Takuya replied. "I've learned since coming back to Tokyo that you can't just run away from the pain, it will find you no matter where you go." He scoffed. "When it comes down to it, there's really only one thing you can do. Face the pain, face it head on and fight. Prove to everyone, and to yourself that you're more than that broken individual. That pain, doesn't have to define you but it is a part of you. This fear you say you inspire in others, it's a part of you. And the only way you're ever going to feel whole again is if you embrace it."

"Face the pain? Embrace the fear?" Ryuta replied in confusion. Then suddenly his eyes widened and his face went pale. Then he collapsed to the ground and started screaming in agony as he held his chest tightly.

Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony as well. "No, no…I can't, it's too much! The pain is too great!"

"Wh-What's going on?!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it definitely isn't good," said Takuya.

A voice whispered in Shadow Ryuta's ear. ' _You can take it. Remember what you told me? You don't just want to be free of those awful people who scorned you, you want to make them all disappear. The power is within your grasp. Give in to your bloodlust. Claim your vessel's soul as your own and you can obtain the power needed to make them all pay.'_

Shadow Ryuta's eyes flashed a dark golden and he slowly began to regain his composure. He began to snicker. "That's right. That is what I really want. Why should I care if I hurt others? They all deserve to suffer. They want me to be a killer, well then fine, I'm a killer. I've accepted it," he said.

"What the…?! It's like his Shadow's done a complete 180!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise.

"This is just like what I saw yesterday…" Shinichi replied.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Ryuta's eyes started to change from bright violet to a bright gold, and a malicious grin took hold of his face. A dark aura began to surround him and soon he started to cackle manically. "You're right! What the hell am I doing whining about how pathetic my life is?! That's exactly what those bastards want me to do! They think I'm a monster, well then I'll show them a monster! I'll make every single one of those pieces of scum pay for throwing me away like trash!"_

 _"What the fuck?! What's happening to him?!" Shinichi exclaimed._

 _"The answer is yes, yes a million times yes! Give me the power! Give me the chance to make those scumbags rue the day they ever crossed me! They want me to be a killer?! Well fine! I'll kill every last one of them! I'll make this world suffer as much as I have suffered!" Ryuta shouted._

 _"No way, I've never seen anything like this before," Shinichi said to himself as he began to cower. "What is this power that I'm sensing?"_

 _"I'll use the fear that people have of me to kill all the scum of this earth! Along with anybody who gets in my way! So show me how I can make that dream into reality!" Ryuta shouted._

"But based on what we've witnessed from his Shadow so far…" Shinichi continued.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

"…" _It was a few moments before the boy first spoke. "What are you doing here?" he asked._

" _Huh?" Takuya replied._

" _You don't belong in this place. I'm the only one who's supposed to be here," Shadow Ryuta replied._

" _We sort of came here by accident, we're looking for a friend of ours," Takuya replied._

" _A friend?" Shadow Ryuta replied in confusion. "Well there's no one like that here. I'm the only who's on this island. You shouldn't be here for that matter either. Leave now."_

" _We can't go, not without our friend," Takuya replied._

" _You have to go, it's not safe here. If you don't leave you'll probably die," Shadow Ryuta replied._

" _Why? Why are we going to die?" Takuya replied._

"…" _Shadow Ryuta was silent. Then after a few moments he sighed. "If you stay, I might end up hurting you. I hurt everyone I come into contact with, that's why I exiled myself to this island. I don't want to hurt anyone else so I want to be left alone here forever. That's why you have to go now, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."_

" _So you're just going to stay here forever? All by yourself?" Takuya asked out of concern._

" _It's better that way. As long as I'm here, people don't have to be afraid that I'll hurt them, and I don't have to concern myself with their fears. This place is serene and peaceful, far away from any pain. Why wouldn't I want to stay here?" Shadow Ryuta asked._

* * *

"I can say with some certainty that something's off about him," Shinichi explained.

"How do you mean?" Takuya asked.

"From what I saw yesterday, Yanasai has a deep-seeded hatred of the people who've scorned him over the years for this murder he's committed; on some level he wants each and every one of them to just disappear, and to prove to them that they're right and that they should be afraid of him by threatening to kill them. But at the same time, he doesn't want to hurt anyone else and has a strong desire to protect those around him from himself as he feels that he is indeed a monster like those people perceive him as. He's not the only one who's in conflict, I think his Shadow is in conflict too. He wants to inspire fear in others but at the same time he's afraid of hurting anyone. This island must represent that internal struggle he's facing," Shinichi explained.

"So this island itself is meant to protect Yanasai from the fear that he inspires in others and at the same time contain his fear of hurting others by protecting them from himself," Takuya replied. "And this slaughterhouse represents his dark desires of making those who've scorned him pay."

"That would be my guess, yeah," Shinichi replied.

Ryuta reeled from the pain he was feeling in his chest. "My heart, it feels like it's going to explode!" he shouted in pain.

"This is just like what happened to me, his Shadow's killing him from the inside out," said Takuya.

Shadow Ryuta cackled mischievously. "That's it, just a little more! Come on, give it to me! Give me your soul! Let the darkness flow through you! Embrace your bloodlust! Give in to the rage that you're holding onto deep inside! Let that hatred burn those insignificant gnats who ever dared look at you with such dread in their eyes! They want to be afraid! I say we give them something to be afraid about! We'll kill them all! Every last single one of them!"

"Wh-What's…going…on?" Ryuta replied in a weaker sounding tone.

"Yanasai!" Takuya exclaimed as he rushed over to his side. "Yanasai, are you okay?"

Ryuta looked up at Takuya in confusion. "Mi-Miyazaki…what's happening…to me?"

"You're dying, you insignificant worm, dying so that I may take control of your spirit and enact my vengeance upon all those who've ever done us wrong," Shadow Ryuta replied. "I'll kill them all, every last single person who dared scorn me and cast me aside without a second thought."

"That's not how you really feel! I know it's not! You're just upset, but we can help you! You and Yanasai!" Takuya shouted at Shadow Ryuta.

"I'm getting sick of your meddling in my affairs," Shadow Ryuta replied. "As far as I'm concerned, either you're with me, or you're against me. If you're going to choose to side with those miniscule insects, then I'll have no choice but to crush you too!"

"No!" Ryuta exclaimed with as much will power as he could fester. "I won't let you do this…Miyazaki is right…I can't just let what others think of me…define who I am for the…rest of my life."

"How could you say that so casually? After everything that pitiful world has done to you? Even your own family tossed you out like you were garbage because they couldn't stand to look at you, even Natsu betrayed us!" Shadow Ryuta exclaimed.

"You take that back!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow. "Natsu would never…do that!"

"We left her behind for her own good, so she wouldn't have to deal with the stigma of being associated with a murderer! And she took our kind gesture and threw it back in our faces! Even she abandoned us! She's an ungrateful bitch!"

"Shut the hell up!" Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs, making him even weaker and forcing him to his knees. "Natsu is not…that kind of person. She's kind…and thoughtless…and earnest to a fault. She's the best little sister…ever, and if anything I'm a moron…for trying to push her away…for her own good. Natsu is and always…shall be…the most precious person in my life. And I won't…forgive anyone who belittles her like that. Even if they do…share my face." Ryuta began to pant profusely, he was starting to lose his breath. "I know for sure now…anyone who would talk about…these kinds of things, and especially anyone who disrespects Natsu…they could never, ever be me."

"No, Yanasai, don't! It's what he wants!" Takuya tried to warn Ryuta, but it was already too late.

"You hear that?! You're not me!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow.

"…" Shadow Ryuta was silent for a moment, but then he started to let out a wicked cackling laughter. A dark aura began to surround him, which continued to grow in size with each passing second. "I guess you're right, if you're not willing to do what must be done then there's no way I could ever be you. No, I'm no weakling who's too afraid to admit his true self. I'm a blood-thirsty monster!" Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Ryuta whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Berserk Shadow Ryuta was a large monstrous-looking centaur that donned a black hood identical to that of a medieval executioner. His muscular human torso was heavily scarred with barbed wire wrapped around it haphazardly several times. The lower half was a horse with black fur that was burned and singed in numerous places. The barbed wire was also wrapped more tightly around the horse half of Berserk Shadow Ryuta, biting into his flesh and causing blood to pool around his wounds. He also wielded a giant meat cleaver that had freshly caked blood coating the metal blade and dripping profusely onto the floor below. "I am a Shadow, the true self!"

"Wh-What…?! What is that thing?!" Ryuta exclaimed in terror.

"It's the Shadow of your heart, a manifestation of all the negative emotions that you keep bottled up inside," Takuya explained as best as he could. "And the only way to get out of here is if we beat it." Takuya turned to Shinichi, who was still resting on his left shoulder. "You think you're up to fight again now, buddy?"

"I'll manage somehow," Shinichi replied. Then the little ghost floated off of Takuya's shoulder and hovered in front of Ryuta. "You attack directly and I'll stay back here and protect Yanasai and provide support as best as I can."

"Got it, I'm counting on you, Casper," Takuya replied playfully.

"For the last time, it's Phantasm!" Shinichi exclaimed in anger.

"Whatever," Takuya replied before summoning his scythe and brandishing it threateningly. "Stay sharp, this doesn't look like it's going to be easy."

"What the hell?! Where did that scythe come from?!" Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief.

"We'll explain later, for now just stay on your toes. I don't know if Takuya can hold back your Shadow on his own," Shinichi replied.

"Meddlesome cretins! You will pay for standing in the way of my vengeance! Prepare to die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted as he brandished his cleaver threateningly.

"I'm not going down without a fight! Hyaaaaaaaaa!" Takuya shouted as he rushed towards Berserk Shadow Ryuta while swinging back his scythe and preparing to attack.

"Weak little insect!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared as he swung back his cleaver and prepared to counter. " **Bloody Butcher!** " A red aura enveloped the cleaver and Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung it down as hard as he could. Takuya's scythe blade clashed with the cleaver's blade, creating a fierce flurry of red sparks.

Takuya struggled to maintain his block of Berserk Shadow Ryuta's attack, the Shadow was clearly overpowering him very easily. Try as he might, Takuya was not able to push back the cleaver; eventually he lost his grip and Berserk Shadow Ryuta was able to finish his attack. The cleaver came down to the ground and split the floor, forming a large fissure that soon ruptured with the same red aura cloaking the cleaver. The shockwave of the rupture knocked Takuya off of his feet and made him fall flat on his back. He struggled in trying to lift himself up. "D-Dammit," he cursed.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta chuckled. "That was just a mere taste of my fury! Feel my wrath!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta began to trot slowly, and then he broke out into a fast run and began wildly swinging his cleaver about. " **Carnage Charge!** " It appeared he was mere moments away from trampling Takuya and chopping him to bits.

Without any hesitation, Takuya summoned his Persona from his indisposed position. "Come forth, Zenbyou!" And Zenbyou appeared behind Takuya the very next moment. " **Shinigami Shroud** , now!" Takuya shouted. Zenbyou then summoned his dark aura force field to protect Takuya from Berserk Shadow Ryuta's head on attack.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta collided with Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud, creating a massive shockwave to fill the slaughterhouse. Shinichi and Ryuta, not being protected by Takuya's Persona's force field at that time, had to brace themselves to not be blown away by the impact.

"Th-This is insane!" Ryuta exclaimed after the aftershock had died down. "What the heck is that thing with Miyazaki?!"

"That's Takuya's Persona," Shinichi replied.

"Persona?" Ryuta replied in a confused tone. "What the hell is a Persona?"

Berserk Shadow Ryuta began to furiously hack away at Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud. "Shinichi, I need a weak point I can exploit, now!" Takuya shouted while trying his best with Zenbyou to keep the force field up.

Shinichi nodded. "Hang on, I've got your back!" Shinichi shouted and then prepared to summon his Persona. "Rise from the ashes, Hitodama!" Then Shinichi's Persona, Hitodama, appeared behind him and let out a mischievous cackle.

"An-Another one?!" Ryuta exclaimed at the sight of Hitodama.

"Here we go, **Hidden Insight!** " Shinichi's eyes began to glow brightly and his Persona's did as well. He started to examine Berserk Shadow Ryuta's body for any weak points that Takuya could exploit to bring the battle to a turnabout. "Umm, okay! Try to take out his legs, he should be easier to take down if you don't have to deal with him charging around like that!"

"What about the barbed wire covering him?!" Takuya replied. "How the hell am I going to get close enough to damage his legs without getting cut up?!"

"Sorry, you're just going to have to figure out a way around that! I can't tell what kind of elemental attacks he's weak to!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Dammit, fine then! It's trial and error time!" Takuya exclaimed. He then quickly sidestepped to the right just as Berserk Shadow Ryuta managed to slice through Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud. Takuya jumped up in the air as high as he could and then ordered Zenbyou to attack. " **Garu!** " Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at Berserk Shadow Ryuta. But just before the attack could make contact, Berserk Shadow Ryuta quickly turned around on his hind legs and managed to block all the whirlwinds by swiftly chopping them up with his cleaver.

"You cannot stop me! My bloodlust will devour you!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared. " **Bloody Butcher!** " A red aura enveloped the cleaver and Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung it down as hard as he could.

"Two can play at that! Go Zenbyou, **Soul Collector!** " Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou's scythe to grow five times in size and glow an exuberant bright blue. Then Zenbyou left Takuya and charged at Berserk Shadow Ryuta, successfully stopping the Shadow's cleaver attack with his scythe's blade. And this time it appeared that Takuya was managing to hold his own against Berserk Shadow Ryuta's broad strength, the Shadow's arm was actually starting to tremble from the pressure of the resistance. "Nice job, buddy!" Takuya shouted at Zenbyou. "Now it's my turn!" Takuya brandished his scythe threateningly and charged at Berserk Shadow Ryuta again. "Hyaaaaaaaaa!" he exclaimed as he swung his scythe back. He ran past the Berserk Shadow Ryuta and left a deep slice in his front and back right legs.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony and let out a high-pitched horse neigh. "You damn brat!" he shouted in anger. Then he lost his concentration and allowed his cleaver arm to falter in his struggle against Zenbyou's Soul Collector scythe. With that opening, Zenbyou managed to land a critical slice on Berserk Shadow Ryuta's upper torso. And the Shadow once again screamed and neighed in agony. With his job done, Zenbyou went back to Takuya's side.

"Alright! Way to go, Takuya!" Shinichi shouted.

"Wow, that was unbelievable," Ryuta said in disbelief. "Miyazaki, he's something else." Then a horrid sight caught Ryuta's eye. "Miyazaki! Your arm!" Ryuta called out to Takuya.

"Huh?" Takuya was confused at first but when he looked down he understood what Ryuta had meant. His right arm was pouring blood out all over the floor. He had been wounded pretty badly and hadn't noticed until that very moment.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta chuckled in amusement and turned around to face Takuya. "And with that our game is at an end! You lasted longer than I expected you to! So congratulations are in order! But I'm afraid that your defiance has proven to be all for naught!"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Takuya replied in confusion.

"Can't you feel it?! The fear, slowly eating away at the inside of you?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.

Zenbyou and Takuya's scythe disappeared and then it began. "Fear? What do you…?" Suddenly Takuya's eyes went wide and his face went completely pale. He began to hear a loud thumping sound which got ever so louder with each passing second, it only took him a few moments to realize that this was his heartbeat. He began to tremble and shake, and his mouth started to hang agape. Then Takuya's world began to spin, it twisted all around and churned inside out until he couldn't tell up from down. His vision blurred and then intensified and then blurred again with each passing second.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta walked closer to him. "Can you still hear me?!" he exclaimed. Takuya looked up at Berserk Shadow Ryuta and then he fell to the floor as he cowered in fear. "What's the matter do I scare you?!"

"…" Takuya couldn't make a sound, it appeared that he was too petrified to respond.

"Takuya!" Shinichi exclaimed in concern.

"This wire doesn't just hurt me! It hurts anyone it comes in contact with! And not only does it hurt like hell, it fills whoever gets cut by it with such unimaginable fear that in mere minutes their brains are completely overloaded with sensations to the point where it becomes impossible to function anymore! Then your heart gives out from the tremendous about of adrenaline pumping through it! And ever so slowly and painfully, you die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta showed off the barbed wire on his front right leg. "And it looks to me like you got a pretty deep cut earlier! So you must have gotten a very concentrated dose of my **Terror Toxin**!"

"Miyazaki?! He's been poisoned?!" Ryuta exclaimed in terror.

"Takuya, snap out of it! You've been drugged! None of what you're seeing is real!" Shinichi shouted.

"…" But it was no use, at that moment Takuya didn't look like he could project any rational thought. His mind had been poisoned by fear.

"Yes, just lay down and die, you worthless little bug!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted. "But now that I think about it, letting you die like that would be too easy, and not nearly as fun!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta raised his cleaver over his head. "What do you say we speed up your death a little?! By chopping you up into little tiny pieces!" There was nothing Takuya could do to defend himself, he was completely incapacitated. "Die! Die! Die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hyaaaaaaaaa! Hitodama, **Fighting Spirit!** " Shinichi used Hitodama's energy restoration power on himself and then flew as fast as he could to aid Takuya. He quickly grabbed ahold of Takuya and lifted him to safety just moments before Berserk Shadow Ryuta's cleaver came crashing down to the ground in the same area where Takuya's right arm was before. Shinichi panted in exhaustion. "Takuya…you're heavy," Shinichi said to his fallen friend.

"What's this?! A lost little spirit?! Come to join your friend's demise?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted with an added cackle.

"Leave him alone! This has gone on far enough!" Shinichi shouted at Berserk Shadow Ryuta. "What's wrong with you?! You say that all you want to do is get away from the pain that people forced upon you, but now you just want to make others feel even more pain?! That's horrible! If you make others feel as afraid and suffer as much as you did, then you're no better than them! Don't you see that?!"

"…" Berserk Shadow Ryuta stayed silent and let the little ghost speak.

"You're not a monster! You never were! You're not even one now! You're just hurt! You've been carrying all of your pain for so long that you've completely forgotten what life means to you without it!" Shinichi sighed. "I know that sometimes it might be tough to face the pain, but if you don't deal with it then you're just letting it and the people who made you feel that way win. It's like Takuya said earlier, just because you're broken, it doesn't mean that you have to stay that way forever. If you want, we can help you learn to forgive and forget, to take that pain and turn it into something good. I know there are a lot of people out there who would be sad if you just disappeared. Your friends at school, the kids you help take care of at the daycare, your family, and especially your little sister. And I think they would be even sadder if you returned to them like this. Take it from someone who doesn't have people like that to think of when things get too tough; being alone, suffering alone, it's the worst kind of pain imaginable, much worse than the pain you're holding onto right now. Please, just let us help you."

Ryuta looked to Shinichi and then to Takuya. "They really want to help me?" he asked himself.

"Why?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.

"Huh?" Shinichi replied.

"Why do I have to forgive those shitty people?! They're the reason I'm like this! The world's the whole reason I'm like this! I don't want to be a monster, but it's what the world made me into! So I'm going to destroy that world like the monster I am! Screw all those people! If worst came to worst, they would be abandon me too without a second thought! You lie! You two, you'll just abandon me too! I want to be alone, so just fucking die already!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared and then swatted Shinichi away with his right hand like he was nothing more than a fly. Shinichi landed hard onto the floor not that far from Takuya.

"No!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Now then, where was I?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted as he stood over Takuya once again, and readied his cleaver for another attack.

"Hey ugly, back the fuck off!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow.

The Shadow locked eyes with his host. "What did you just say to me, you pathetic little worm?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied in anger.

"You heard me! I said back the fuck off! If you lay one more hand on my friends, you're dead!" Ryuta shouted in fury.

"Is that so?! Looks like you've finally grown a backbone! That hate, I recognize it all too well! You had the same look in your eyes on the night I was born! You look like you're ready to kill, now that's the face a monster should wear!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.

"Oh shut the hell up already! Killer, murderer, monster! I hate those words so much! I admit it, it's true sometimes I'd wish all those people who dismiss me as evil so easily would just disappear! I've been angry, sad, and alone for years now and I…! And I…! And I don't want to feel that way anymore! I'm sick of it, you hear me?!" Ryuta shouted.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta cackled. "So that's your answer, is it?! You're still determined to turn a blind eye to the rage inside of you?!"

Ryuta shook his head. "No, you're right, that anger is a part of me. It's a part that I'm ashamed of, but it's part of me none the less. But there's more to me than that. I realize that now. That anger, that hatred, it may be dark in origin, but I can still use it to do good. The first time I let that anger show, I used it to save my little sister, from a true monster who broke into our home and tried to hurt her. This fear I inspire in others and myself, it can be used for good. I know it can. And I'm going to use it to defeat you," Ryuta said confidently as he clenched his fist and glared at his Shadow. Then Ryuta's eyes turned to the shade of blood red and a dark purple aura began to envelop his whole body.

Then a dark and serious voice whispered in Ryuta's ear. " _The time has come for us to meet at last young child of man. Fear not, I am on thy side. I have always been hidden away deep within thy heart, and thy words just now have stirred within me a newfound resolve. I have great powers of darkness to bestow on thee, if thou art willing to accept the responsibility that follows them. My powers are not to be taken lightly, darkness can be a terrible thing when wielded by a person who is unworthy of its power. Normal men can be driven mad just by gazing upon it. But thou, who hast proven that they will stare deep into the abyss in order to protect thy loved ones, shalt be a fair master of them. However, if thou art ready to accept my power then thee must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Thine own life shall hence be forfeit as thou truly becomes one with the darkness. Dost thou accept this bargain?_ "

"Yes, if the darkness can help me protect the ones that I care about then I'll gladly give into it," Ryuta said confidently.

The mysterious voice chuckled. " _Very well. Then the deal is struck. I am thou, thou art I. The world is made up of both good and evil. It is time to show which side thou firmly standeth for! I, Kuebiko, shall leadeth thou down the path of darkness and help thee unleash the power that dwells within!_ "

Then it appeared, Ryuta's Persona, Kuebiko. He had short golden hair, akin to straw, and a face that was covered in a burlap mask. The only thing on the mask were two eye holes which allowed two shining, fiery red eyes, similar to actual burning flame, to be seen. He wore a royal purple dress tailcoat, lined with golden threads and adorning buttons that were also gold; though the coat itself was tarnished and heavily worn. The buttons on the coat no longer shined and the overall color has also faded, and small tears were present in various places on the tailcoat. His cuffs were entirely stained in a rich red color, presumably blood. His dark hands were thin and stick-like with his fingers taking the form of small but sharp blades. A thick noose made of rope loosely hanged around his neck. And his torso beneath the coat was entirely black while the remainder of his body was covered in dirtied white plants. He had small, old-style wooden wheels bolted to his ankles, two per foot, with the wheels attached on either side, instead of actual feet. " _Now then the time has come. Any last words?_ "

"Show me. Show me just how strong the darkness can be when it's used for good!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Kuebiko chuckled. " _Very well then._ " Kuebiko raised his right arm up in the air and then quickly lowered it. Then suddenly several sharp knives appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Ryuta. Each one deeply impaled him, and the final knife pierced his neck and cut his jugular vein. A few moments later he collapsed to the ground on his knees. Kuebiko's eyes grew even brighter. " _Through death comes rebirth._ " Kuebiko then raised his left arm in the air and quickly lowered it. And then a large murder of crows appeared out of nowhere and in mere moments covered up Ryuta's body completely. They pecked and cawed until there was nothing left of the boy beneath. Then they flew up into the air and a large object was left behind in their wake. It was a large wooden cross, and tied to it was a boy who wore a white dress shirt, a purple tie, and a black vest; he also wore a bright red muffler that obscured the lower half of his face. And finally he wore a pair of purple gloves, a pair of faded jeans, and a pair of smart black shoes. " _Protector of the innocent, smiter of those that wish to bring harm to others. The time has come for thou to arise and take up thy duty. Let us strike fear in the impure hearts of this world so they know that such misdeeds will not be tolerated! Take heed of thy true calling, Scarecrow!_ "

Then the boy raised his head and revealed himself to be Ryuta, recently reborn as a Grim Reaper. Ryuta pulled his arms forward and broke the ropes that were keeping him tied to the wooden cross, and then he fell down to the floor below and landed gracefully on his feet. Kuebiko disappeared along with the wooden cross, and Ryuta was left alone to stare down his Shadow.

"I see that I'm not the only one who's evolved! But I doubt you could hold that much power in such a scrawny body! Do you really think you can stand a chance against the likes of me?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta mocked.

Ryuta scoffed. "I said as much, didn't I?" Ryuta replied in a cool manner.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta growled. "That newfound cockiness of your's pisses me off!"

"Is that so? Well then…" Ryuta stuck his right arm up in the air and then suddenly a weapon appeared out of thin air. It was a naginata that had been altered to have blades at both ends, it had a black shaft and thick purple blades at either end; the sharp ends of the metal were stained red as though the blades had already tasted blood. "Why don't we find out if this cockiness I have is just for show or not?" Ryuta spun his naginata around in a threatening manner and then held it at his side as if he were a soldier. Then he raised up his left arm and revealed his summon tattoo. It was purple in color and glowed so brightly that it could be seen even under his shirt sleeve. The tattoo design was a silhouette of a simple scarecrow (sticks formed as a "t" with a round head and a tattered cloth hanging off the arms), and the ends of the arms were replaced with the blades of Ryuta's dual naginata. And a dark liquid surrounded the base of the scarecrow, this was presumably blood. "Let's see, who's darkness is stronger. Shall we?"

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A/N: Two powerful dark beings going head to head, quite an interesting development. Will this so-called Scarecrow be enough to quell the unbridled fury of this monstrous Shadow? Stay tuned to find out.


	22. Chapter XIX

A/N: (Happy one-year anniversary, belated by a month and several days! I hope all you loyal readers enjoy your present of two new chapters, was shooting for five like last time but some things came up. First I came home from college to find that our Internet was completely out and that took some time to fix, and then when it was finally fixed I couldn't get back into the habit of writing daily. So hopefully that will change for the remainder of the Summer. I want to try and at least get to Ayuka's awakening before it's over. But anyway, again I'm really, really, really sorry. Please forgive me! Don't abandon me or the story!)

Ryuta Yanasai has awakened to a newfound power, but will it be enough to overcome his inner darkness? Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

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 **Chapter XIX: New and broken friendships**

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 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After School**

"I see that I'm not the only one who's evolved! But I doubt you could hold that much power in such a scrawny body! Do you really think you can stand a chance against the likes of me?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta mocked.

Ryuta scoffed. "I said as much, didn't I?" Ryuta replied in a cool manner.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta growled. "That newfound cockiness of your's pisses me off!"

"Is that so? Well then…" Ryuta stuck his right arm up in the air and then suddenly a weapon appeared out of thin air. It was a naginata that had been altered to have blades at both ends, it had a black shaft and thick purple blades at either end; the sharp ends of the metal were stained red as though the blades had already tasted blood. "Why don't we find out if this cockiness I have is just for show or not?" Ryuta spun his naginata around in a threatening manner and then held it at his side as if he were a soldier. Then he raised up his left arm and revealed his summon tattoo. It was purple in color and glowed so brightly that it could be seen even under his shirt sleeve. The tattoo design was a silhouette of a simple scarecrow (sticks formed as a "t" with a round head and a tattered cloth hanging off the arms), and the ends of the arms were replaced with the blades of Ryuta's dual naginata. And a dark liquid surrounded the base of the scarecrow, this was presumably blood. "Let's see, who's darkness is stronger. Shall we?"

Berserk Shadow Ryuta stamped his front right hoof down on the floor in a threatening manner, and then he let out a large breath and neighed like a horse again. " **Carnage Charge!** " Berserk Shadow Ryuta began to trot slowly, and then he broke out into a fast run and began wildly swinging his cleaver about. In a matter of moments, he was mere centimeters away from hacking Ryuta with his cleaver. Then, with reflexes as fast as lightning, Ryuta sidestepped to the right and narrowly dodged his Shadow's attack.

"You missed," Ryuta replied. Berserk Shadow Ryuta growled and quickly made a U-turn to attack Ryuta from behind, his charging never ceasing. But before his attack could land Ryuta dodged it at the last moment again. "Nope, try again," Ryuta mocked his Shadow. Getting even angrier, Berserk Shadow Ryuta made a sharp U-turn and charged at Ryuta again, this time running at even greater speed that could only be compared to that of a bullet train. And this time, to ensure that Ryuta couldn't dodge as easily, he swung his cleaver in a wider arc, making sidestepping his attacks a useless feat.

"Try and dodge this, you pest!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared.

"Okay," Ryuta said in a bored tone. Then at the last possible moment, Ryuta lowered himself to the ground and then sprung up high in the air, in a manner similar to a frog's leap. Ryuta jumped over his Shadow and allowed it to pass underneath his feet. Then in a quick motion, Ryuta swung down his naginata and deeply cut into his Shadow's torso, making Berserk Shadow Ryuta scream and neigh in agony. Then he landed gracefully onto the ground and turned around to see his Shadow nearly stumble over in pain.

"Im-Impossible! How can y-you be th-this strong?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta exclaimed in agony.

"I already told you, I'm not same person I was before. I'm not afraid of you anymore," Ryuta replied. The black blood from his Shadow dripped down to the floor from one of his naginata's blades. "You're just an ugly abomination that my subconscious dreamt up to justify my inner turmoil. You're nothing without me. My fear is what fuels you, and I'm in control of it now."

"Wh-What do y-you kn-know about f-fear?! I'm the one who's su-suffered from the ra-ravages of f-fear! F-For the p-past few y-years, fear has con-controlled my l-life! Y-You're the one who d-denies it, who p-pushes it d-down and ch-chooses to ignore it, even as it cl-claws its w-way up from d-deep inside of y-you!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta exclaimed as he forced himself to keep standing.

"You're wrong!" Ryuta shouted. "I suffered just as much as you! I admit it! But I'm not going to let that overwhelming fear control me, anymore! From now on, my fear, my darkness is mine to control!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta seemed to have recovered somewhat. "No, your darkness is mine!" he roared in anger. He raised his cleaver over his head and then shouted, " **Bloody Butcher!** " A red aura enveloped the cleaver and Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung it down as hard as he could, and then the cleaver crashed right through the floor. The crash caused a powerful shockwave to make a fissure of red energy that shot at great speed towards Ryuta.

"Hyaaaaaaaaa!" Ryuta shouted as swung back his naginata and then threw it straight at the incoming fissure, the naginata spun in the air and then cut apart then energy rupture by slicing through it with its sharp blades. The rupture then dissipated and the fissure stopped dead in its tracks. The naginata then continued to fly straight towards Berserk Shadow Ryuta, who tried to block it with his cleaver. But the naginata was faster and one of the blades sunk into the bottom part of his torso before he could get the chance.

"Arraaaahgggghhhh!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta screamed in pain. "You damn brat, I'll fucking murder you!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Ryuta replied as he ran towards his Shadow. Berserk Shadow Ryuta tried to retaliate by swinging his cleaver at him, but Ryuta gracefully dodged the attack by dropping to his knees and ducking as he slid across the floor.

" _Now Scarecrow! Free thy comrade from thy Shadow's wicked spell!_ " Kuebiko exclaimed in Ryuta's head.

Ryuta nodded and then grabbed his naginata and pulled its blade out of his Shadow before he slid up under him. "I won't let you hurt anyone ever again!" Ryuta shouted as he then swiftly cut up his Shadow's legs as he slid underneath his body, making his Shadow scream and neigh in agony once again. However, it appeared that Ryuta's true target wasn't his Shadow's legs but the barbed wire that dug into them. When Ryuta slid out from under his Shadow, he hopped to his feet and then skidded to a halt. Then he turned back around just in time to see the bloody barbed wire separate into pieces and then fall to the floor and burst into darkness.

"…" Takuya who had been infected by the Fear Toxin from Berserk Shadow Ryuta's barbed wire, was at that time, writing in agony at the tremendous amount of fear his brain was putting off. But moments after the barbed wire disappeared, his breathing began to become normal, his eyes constricted, and his skin began to regain its normal color. Then after a few more moments he sat back up on the floor and held his head in pain as he took deep breaths. "Wh-What happened?" he asked rhetorically.

"T-Takuya, you're alive," Takuya heard a familiar voice say. Takuya turned to his left and saw that Shinichi was lying on the floor, badly beaten.

"Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed as he skooched his way over to his incapacitated friend. "Are you okay?!"

Shinichi smiled. "Y-Yeah, I'll li-live…well as much as a gh-ghost can li-live anyway," he replied in a weak tone. "L-Look don't worry ab-about me. Y-You h-have to help Ya-Yanasai," Shinichi said as he pointed towards Ryuta and his Shadow's intense battle. "He's k-keeping his Sh-Shadow at bay for n-now but I think he'll n-need your he-help to fi-finish it off."

Takuya turned around and saw that Ryuta was now wearing an odd outfit and holding a large naginata. "Yanasai, he's become a Grim Reaper too?!" He also saw that Berserk Shadow Ryuta appeared to be badly wounded. Without another moment of hesitation, Takuya got up off the floor and then summoned his scythe. "Alright, I don't really understand what all happened while I was out of it but I do know that Yanasai needs help. You stay here and rest, Shinichi."

"Y-You don't h-have to t-tell me tw-twice," Shinichi replied in a weak tone.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta forced himself to turn around and face Ryuta again, while panting in exhaustion. "H-How can th-this be?! How d-did my F-Fear Tox-Toxin not affect y-you?!" he exclaimed.

Ryuta scoffed and showed off his arms, they were covered in several nasty, bloody gashes. "I'm not that fast, I still got cut pretty badly by your wire. But lucky for me, it looks like I'm immune to your little toxin. Kind of poetic, don't you think? I am the essence of fear; therefore, I cannot feel fear. Well not yours at least."

"So then, I guess I can thank you for helping me out?" Ryuta heard a voice call out to him. Then he turned to see that Takuya had regained consciousness and was running over to greet him.

"Miyazaki?! Are you okay?!" Ryuta exclaimed in worry.

"I am now, thanks to you. I owe you one," Takuya replied with a chuckle.

Ryuta returned the chuckle. "Dude, you owe me that and a hell of a detailed explanation. But I guess we can save that for later. For now, what do you say we finish off this guy together?"

Takuya nodded in reply. "With pleasure." Then the two boys turned to face Berserk Shadow Ryuta.

"An-Annoying bugs, why w-won't you d-die?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared. Then gathering up his remaining strength, he launched another attack. " **Seeing Red!** " Then two ominous red lights appeared up under Berserk Shadow Ryuta's executioner hood, presumably these were his eyes. And then a few moments later an odd thing happened, all the blood that had been spilt from his body after taking Ryuta's numerous attacks began to levitate up off the ground and fly into the air. Then the blood formed large spheres which then joined together until a gigantic sphere of blood was formed.

"Oh that doesn't look good," Ryuta said as he began to sweat bullets.

"Get behind me now!" Takuya shouted. Then when Ryuta did as ordered, Takuya summoned his Persona. "Come forth, Zenbyou!"

"This is the end!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted with all the strength he could muster. Berserk Shadow Ryuta raised his arms in the air as if we holding the sphere floating above and then he made a motion like he was throwing it at Takuya and Ryuta. And then the sphere flew through the air at breakneck speed.

When Zenbyou appeared, Takuya wasted no time in giving a command. "Quick, **Shinigami Shroud!** " Then Zenbyou raised his force field and the boys prepared for impact. And that impact was colossal. When the blood sphere made contact with the force field, it burst with a massive explosion of blood that covered everything. Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud barely contained the blast, but lucky for the boys it managed to stay standing until the end. When Zenbyou lowered his force field, Takuya and Ryuta took note of the area now. It looked like they were standing in a sea of blood. There was not an area on the floor that was not covered in it, and it reached up to their ankles in depth.

"Ugh, sick!" Takuya exclaimed at the sight. "Well my shoes are ruined."

"Look out!" Ryuta exclaimed, warning Takuya that Berserk Shadow Ryuta was about to attack again.

" **Bloody Butcher!** " Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted as used his cleaver attack to launch a large wave from the bloody sea at Takuya and Ryuta. Takuya easily cut it with his scythe, but it appeared that the wave was only a distraction, as mere moments later Berserk Shadow Ryuta came stampeding towards them while swinging his cleaver about like a madman. " **Carnage Charge!** " Takuya had to move fast to quickly block the cleaver with his scythe's handle, and then Zenbyou aided him by using his own scythe to help apply more pressure to Berserk Shadow Ryuta.

"Damn it, he's too strong!" Takuya exclaimed as he was having trouble holding back Berserk Shadow Ryuta completely.

"I've got you covered," Ryuta replied as he raised his left arm. Then a dark purple glow appeared from under his shirt, showing off his scarecrow tattoo. "Let the fear take hold of them, Kuebiko!" Ryuta shouted as he summoned his Persona, Kuebiko. Then he wasted no time in giving Kuebiko a command. " **Psi!** " Ryuta shouted, and then Kuebiko raised both of his stick hands to his head and the fire that lit up his eyes began to grow brighter. Then a large purplish-pink beam fired from Kuebiko's forehead and hit Berserk Shadow Ryuta's head, making him yelp in pain.

Berserk Shadow Ryuta crept back in response to Ryuta's attack and released his cleaver from his hand. The cleaver then fell down into the sea of blood below. Takuya wasted no time in using this opening to follow up with an attack of his own. " **Garu!** " Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou to create a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and then fire them at Berserk Shadow Ryuta, causing him more pain.

Then Ryuta followed up with another attack. " **Murder Mayhem!** " Ryuta shouted, causing Kuebiko to summon a large murder of crows from the sky which flew towards Berserk Shadow Ryuta and proceeded to relentlessly peck and caw him. The Shadow screamed and neighed in agony. Then after a few more moments of attacking, the crows flew up into the air and disappeared into darkness.

Takuya then followed up with yet another attack. " **Soul Collector!** " Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou's Soul Collector scythe blade to appear. Then Takuya ran towards Berserk Shadow Ryuta and mercilessly slashed his front torso, and Zenbyou followed suit and administered a devastating slash with his powerful scythe.

"N-No, th-this can't b-be! I c-can't be b-beaten so e-easily!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief. "Ki-Kill you! I-I'll definitely k-kill you!" Then in one last ditch effort he called upon his finishing move again. " **Seeing Red!** " And much like before, his eyes glowed red and the sea of blood that flooded the area rose into the air and formed spheres, which then combined and turned into a gigantic sphere of blood. Only this blood sphere appeared to be even bigger than the last one.

"I don't think so!" Takuya shouted. "Follow my lead, it's time for an All-Out Attack!" he shouted at Ryuta, who nodded in reply.

Then Takuya lunged at Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung back his scythe, and Ryuta followed suit and did the same with his naginata. "Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the two boys exclaimed as they relentlessly slashed and hacked at Berserk Shadow Ryuta from all directions. The Shadow wailed in intense agony. Then after a minute or so, the boys retreated to safety.

"Th-This…c-can't…b-be…!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief. Then his entire body began to shake and after a few moments his legs buckled beneath his own weight and he fell to the floor. And with his concentration lost, his Seeing Red blood sphere fell back down to the floor and landed on him. Causing Berserk Shadow Ryuta to take the full force of the blood sphere's explosion "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he screamed before completely bursting into darkness.

"Alright!" Takuya exclaimed in victory. "Your Shadow's down for the count!"

"We won! We really won!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Yana…" Takuya smiled. "Actually do you mind if I just call you Ryuta? After all we've been through today, it seems kind of weird to keep calling you by your last name."

Ryuta snickered. "No problem, neighbor. Then I'll be sure to just call you Takuya."

"You guys did it!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Takuya and Ryuta turned to see Shinichi rushing over to them. "That was totally awesome! You just launched attack after attack in tandem! He didn't know what hit him!" Shinichi exclaimed in glee.

Takuya chuckled. "Looks like you're back to normal, Casper," he replied.

Shinichi puffed up his cheeks. "It's Phantasm! You're doing that on purpose!"

"Phantasm?" Ryuta replied in confusion.

"It's my mantle, the name my Persona gave me," Shinichi explained. "Takuya's is Sin Eater, he's got a really emo vibe going on," he joked.

Takuya scoffed. "Laugh all you want, but I know I make this outfit look good."

"How about you, Yanasai?" Shinichi asked.

"Just Ryuta's fine," Ryuta replied, "And the name's Scarecrow. It seems appropriate given that my power comes from fear."

"Great, so now we have the friendly ghost from the comic of the same name, and the creepy villain from the _Batman_ franchise," Takuya replied. He chuckled. "Man do Personas know how to give out lousy names."

Ryuta scoffed. "Oh like Sin Eater's any better?" he replied. "It's emo and sounds like a rip off of the name of an edgy anime character."

Shinichi snickered. "Ha, you tell him, Ryuta."

Takuya sighed. "Shut up, the both of you," he replied.

Then the three boys were interrupted when they heard a pained groan. They turned around to see that Ryuta's Shadow had returned to his original form, and it appeared that he had calmed down and gone back to his mellow state. They moved closer to him and looked down at him with perplexed expressions. "So what do we do with him?" Ryuta asked.

"That's up to you, he's your Shadow after all," Takuya replied.

"Just kill me, the world's better off without me in it anyway," Shadow Ryuta replied as he looked up at the boys. "Everyone was right; I am a monster. There's a darkness deep inside of me that I'm afraid I'll one day let out. Even if it's by accident, I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"That is true, there's a monster inside of him that tried to kill us three times over," Ryuta replied.

"But that's only one part of him, what about the other part? Do you think that he deserves to die too?" Shinichi asked.

"He disrespected my little sister, and said all those awful things," Ryuta replied. Then he shook his head. "I don't think I can ever forgive him. No, I don't think I can ever forgive myself."

"Well you have a choice, right Takuya? You can either destroy your Shadow or accept it," Shinichi explained.

Takuya nodded. "Either way is fine apparently, but we both chose to accept ours," Takuya replied.

"Really?" Ryuta replied. Then he looked down at his Shadow. "But, I don't think I can ever really accept mine."

Shinichi frowned. "Ryuta, is all that stuff we heard from your Shadow, true? Did you really kill someone?"

Ryuta sighed. "It happened one night back when I was still in middle school. Mom and dad were running late getting home so my sister Natsu and I made dinner for ourselves and had a quiet night in. But when we least expected it, something life changing happened. An intruder broke into our house and tried to kill us. My dad worked as a supervisor at this big company in Nagoya, and apparently the intruder was recently laid off by that same company and fell on hard times. For whatever reason, he blamed my dad for it and he wanted revenge," Ryuta explained. "I was scared but I knew I had to protect Natsu no matter what so I tried to fight him off, but he ended up getting the better of me and knocked me unconscious. Then I woke up a few minutes later to Natsu's screams and I saw that animal lying on top of her and pinning her down to the floor. He just kept shouting at her and then he even tried to…" he clenched his fists in frustration and started shaking. Then a few moments later, he calmed down and continued the story. "At that point, I remember seeing red. I grabbed the nearest object that could be used as a weapon, which just so happened to be a kitchen knife, and I lunged at him and pulled him off of Natsu. We struggled and then I ended up slashing his throat. A few moments later, he was dead lying in a pool of his own blood. And Natsu…poor Natsu, I didn't think she would ever stop crying."

Takuya rested his hand on Ryuta's right shoulder. "From what it sounds like, you really didn't have a choice. That guy was going to kill you and your sister."

Shadow Ryuta shook his head. "But some people didn't see it that way," he replied. "After that night, I noticed that neighbors I would greet every morning started to ignore me, and kids I used to talk to every day at school started to shun me. I had become a pariah without even knowing it." Then he sighed.

"I guess they couldn't help it though, it's natural to be afraid of death," Ryuta added. "But still, I wish that one night didn't have to define who I am for the rest of my life. I may have taken a life in the past, but I'm not a killer. I'm not. I did what I did to protect my sister, and I don't regret it for a single second."

"Then I think you have your answer," Takuya replied.

"Huh?" Ryuta replied in a confused tone.

Shadow Ryuta also seemed confused. "What?"

"Your Shadow, it represents the person you became on that night," Takuya explained. "But I think this whole time, you've been looking at him the wrong way. He doesn't represent a killer; he represents a protector. You've taken a life, yes. But you're wrong in thinking that it simply defines you as a killer. You did what you did out of love and courage, to protect the one person you cared the most about. I think Natsu felt that way, no I'm sure she did. Just from hearing your story, I can tell the lengths that you would go to protect her."

"Of course I would protect her, I love her. She's always had my back, and I know she always will. The thought of losing her, it made me snap," Ryuta replied. "I couldn't imagine life without Natsu."

Shinichi affectionately chuckled. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a siscon, Ryuta."

"Shut up!" Ryuta exclaimed with a light blush.

"The point is, that you used that darkness, that rage you have inside, for good. You used it to protect, not to simply kill," Takuya explained. He looked down to Shadow Ryuta. "He's a part of you, a part that you may be ashamed of, or sometimes even terrified of, but he's a part of you none the less. You can't be the true you, without him."

"…" Ryuta silently stared down at his Shadow.

"I didn't mean what I said about Natsu, I love her. She's my dear little sister, the same as yours. I was just upset," Shadow Ryuta replied. He got down on all fours and started to cry. "The day that we decided to leave Nagoya, Natsu was so upset. Remember? We were leaving to make a fresh start for ourselves, and to keep our family at arm's length so they wouldn't get hurt by the slander that was following us. We convinced ourselves that the only way to truly to protect Natsu, was to push her away. But she didn't like that, she said we were just abandoning her. And we haven't heard anything from her since." His tears were coming down in full force now. "Out of that sadness, came anger. I wanted to…protect Natsu, by keeping her…as far away from me…as possible, but somewhere down the line I…misinterpreted her anger and I just…thought she abandoned us like…everyone else. When really…we abandoned her. She was right, that's all…we did in the end…and we were just too stubborn…to realize it," he said in between his sobs. "Natsu…I'm sorry! I'm…so sorry!" He continued to cry for a few more moments as the three Grim Reapers stood over him in silence.

Then finally Ryuta dropped his naginata down on the floor and crouched down to his Shadow's level, and then he pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry too. For everything. I pretended that you weren't there, even when I knew you were. The reason that I couldn't move past all of this even though years have passed now is because I refused to admit that deep down I was terrified and angry. All that pent up fear and resentment I had inside, it created you, I see that now. But you have to understand, no matter what anyone says to you, you are not a monster." Then he pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "And neither am I."

Shadow Ryuta dried his tears and then smiled at Ryuta. "I…I've made up my mind. I don't want to be alone anymore. I'm still scared of the outside world, but I can't let that fear control my life. I want to return to the world. I want to make new friends, try new things, and live a happy life. And above else, I want to see mom, dad, and Natsu again," Shadow Ryuta replied.

Ryuta nodded. "I do too. So what do you say you and I work together and prove to everyone who sees as something that we're not, that we will not falter and keep living our lives the way we want? We're not going to let the past hold us back anymore, we're only looking to the future from here on out. Deal?"

Shadow Ryuta smiled and nodded. "Deal." Then in a manner similar to what happened to Takuya and Shinichi; a bright aura began to envelop Shadow Ryuta and soon his body began to fade away into a bright light, until nothing was left of him but a small ball made up of darkness and light. Ryuta reached out to touch it, and when he did it surprised him by flying into his chest and going through his heart.

Ryuta crossed his hands over his heart. "The darkness. The fear. It's still there, but it's different now. For the first time in years I feel lighter, like all the stress and pain that I was holding onto is just gone. Is this what it was like for you guys too?" Ryuta asked Takuya and Shinichi.

"Pretty much," Takuya replied. "Your inner darkness and light have become one. You're now a being of pure neutrality, a Grim Reaper."

"Grim Reaper?" Ryuta repeated in confusion.

"We'll explain everything once we get out of here," Takuya replied.

"Yes, finally we can leave this creepy place!" Shinichi exclaimed. "Follow me!" Then the ghost boy floated off ahead of Takuya and Ryuta towards the exit of the slaughterhouse, and a few moments later the other boys chased after him.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After School**

Upon opening the door and coming back onto the beach, the Grim Reapers found that the sun was once again shining brightly. In fact, the difference in light was so great that they had to briefly adjust their eyes before they could proceed. "Wow!" Ryuta exclaimed. "What is this place?" he asked out of curiosity.

"It's the world that lies beyond your inner hate," Takuya replied. "We're not exactly sure on the specifics yet but it seems like when you entered Limbo a special section in it was created to model your personality and troubles."

"But why? And how exactly did I wind up here in the first place?" Ryuta asked.

"Wait, you don't remember coming here before?" Shinichi asked in confusion.

"…" Ryuta silently shook his head.

"Well we can figure the rest out later. For now, we should get back to our world," Takuya replied.

"But how exactly do we leave? I don't see that black gate anywhere," Shinichi replied.

"…" Ryuta silently walked ahead to the shore line and looked out over the horizon. Then as if he was almost in a trance, he raised his right arm and a dark purple Skeleton Key tattoo glowed from underneath his shirt sleeve. Then there was a loud unlocking sound and a few moments later, a large, door-shaped hole appeared out of thin air. A bright light came from the other side; it was so bright that it was impossible to make out what was on the other side. "I think we go through here," said Ryuta.

"This seems kind of ominous," Shinichi replied.

"Well it doesn't look like there's any other way out of here. So what have we got to lose?" Takuya replied before walking up and joining Ryuta at the shore. Shinichi hesitantly followed behind. Then one by one, the Grim Reapers stepped through the door and the world went white around them.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After School**

When they opened their eyes again, the Grim Reapers found themselves in an urban, brick alleyway. Endless sounds of urban life could be heard, and Takuya and Ryuta were once again wearing their school uniforms. They were now back in their world. "Woo-hoo, mission accomplished!" Takuya exclaimed.

"That was unreal, it felt almost like a dream," Ryuta replied. "I seriously didn't dream all of that did I?" he asked rhetorically.

"If you were dreaming, then you and I must have been having the same dream," Takuya replied. "Nope, all that weirdness was as real as it can get."

"And you've done things like this before?" Ryuta asked.

"Well truth be told, this is still all new to me too. I just discovered what I can do over the weekend," Takuya replied.

"Still, you seem pretty used to this already," Ryuta replied.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it pretty fast too," Shinichi replied.

Ryuta looked to Shinichi. "Who are you? I don't recognize you at all." Then he looked around. "What happened to that little white thing in the black hood?"

Shinichi was annoyed. "That little white thing in the black hood is a ghost, and that ghost is me."

"A gh-ghost?! For real?! That was an actual ghost?!" Ryuta exclaimed. Then Ryuta closely observed Shinichi's current appearance. "And what do you mean that was you?! You don't look anything like that!"

Shinichi sighed. "That's just the way I look in Limbo for some reason. It just started happening yesterday though, this is what I normally look like," he explained. Then he smirked. "But I'm still an honest to God ghost. You don't believe me? Go ahead, try and touch me."

"…" Ryuta hesitated before doing as he was told. He reached out and touched Shinichi with his right hand, and to his surprise, Ryuta's hand passed right through Shinichi's body. Ryuta yelped and quickly withdrew his hand. "Ice cold!" he exclaimed. "It's true, you are a ghost!"

"That's not even the half of it," Takuya replied. "We have a lot of explaining to do, but first I have a promise to keep." Takuya peered out of the alleyway and then spied Yoshiaki's Daycare right next door. "And from the looks of things we won't have to go that far. Come on, there are some people who have been dying to see you."

"Huh?" Ryuta replied in confusion.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After School**

A few minutes later, the boys were at Yoshiaki's, greeting the kids in the playground and reuniting them with Ryuta. Madoka couldn't keep herself from smiling as she called out to the kids. "Everyone! Can I have your attention, please?!" After a few moments, all the kids on the playground came over to see what Madoka wanted.

"What's wrong, Big Sis Madoka?" one of the kids asked.

"Are we in trouble?" another one asked.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" a third one exclaimed.

Madoka giggled. "No, no it's nothing like that," she replied. "Someone just decided to stop by and pay us a visit."

Ryuta stepped out from behind Madoka and immediately greeted the kids. "Hey guys, did you miss me?!"

"Big Bro Ryuta!" they all shouted at the top of the lungs. And then they all ran up to him and practically tackled him into a hug.

"Whoa, hey now! Geez, you guys know it's just been a day since I've been gone, right?" Ryuta replied.

"We can't help it! We missed you!" Kenta replied.

"When you didn't show up yesterday, we were so worried!" Hiyori replied.

"Don't ever leave us like that without any warning again, okay?!" Ryo replied, practically in tears.

"Aww, you guys." Ryuta crouched down to the kids' height and then hugged each and every one of them individually. "I'm sorry for making you all worry like that; I promise it won't happen again."

While Ryuta was catching up with the kids, Madoka came over to talk to Takuya, who was watching from a short distance. "You brought him back, just like you said you would. Thank you so much."

"No problem really," Takuya replied. "He's my friend, and I was worried about him just like the rest of you."

"Still though, I didn't expect you to find him so fast, it feels like I just talked to you a few minutes ago," Madoka replied. She looked suspicious but then she just ignored her feelings. "Oh my, keeping track of these rumbustious children sure makes you lose track of time, doesn't it?"

Takuya nervously rubbed the back of his head and chuckled in an odd manner. "Yeah…it's a tough job, I bet. In reality, finding him was no easy task. You wouldn't believe the places I had to go to search."

"…?" Madoka raised one of her eyebrows in suspicion.

Desperate to change the subject, Takuya was handed a Hail Mary by Ryuta. "Oh look, here comes Ryuta and the kids."

"Hey Takuya, the kids wanted to say something to you personally," said Ryuta. "Go ahead guys."

"Thank you for finding Big Bro, Takuya-san!" the kids exclaimed all at once.

Takuya awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Don't mention it."

"Big Bro Ryuta, can you come play with us now?" Kenta asked Ryuta.

Ryuta smiled and ruffled up Kenta's hair. "Sure thing, just let me go inside and get changed into my uniform and then we'll play as much as you want."

"Oh, Yanasai-san are you sure you're up to running around with them now? I thought you were sick," Madoka replied in a concerned tone.

"Sick?" Ryuta was confused at first, but a few moments later insight took hold of him. Ryuta chuckled nervously. "Sick, yeah that I was. Actually, it was just a minor head cold. I must have been coming down with hay fever. I took some medicine for the pain last night though so I should be good to go now."

"Oh, well that's good to hear," Madoka replied. "But I don't want you to push yourself if you're not up to it."

"No worries, it was my shift today too anyway." Ryuta looked to Takuya. "Looks like I'm going to be sticking around here for a while, so feel free to head on back to campus without me."

"What? You're leaving?" Hiyori asked Takuya. "Can't you stay and play with us too, Takuya-san?"

"Huh? Me?" Takuya replied in a confused manner.

"Yeah, come on can't you stay for a little while?" Ryo asked. "You're Big Bro Ryuta's friend, so that makes you our friend too."

"Guys, Takuya doesn't work here. We shouldn't waste his time like that," Ryuta replied. "Come on, I'll hurry and get changed and then we'll play all you want."

"Please, Takuya-san?" Ryo pleaded.

"Please?" Hiyori pleaded.

"Please?" Kenta pleaded.

Takuya sighed. "Aww, what the heck? I don't have anything planned for this afternoon anyway. I can spare a few hours."

"Yay!" the kids exclaimed. Then just like they did to Ryuta before, they immediately ran up to Takuya and tried to tackle him into a hug.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise.

Ryuta smiled at Takuya. "Well looks like you'll be helping us out part-time today then. I'll see if we can find you a spare smock."

"Yeah, thanks," Takuya replied. Then the kids pulled Takuya off in the direction of the playground, it appeared that they wanted to play with their new big brother right away. Madoka took advantage of the opportunity to talk in private to Ryuta.

"It looks like the children have already taken a shine to him," said Madoka.

Ryuta nodded. "Yeah, it's really something. To be honest, they didn't even warm up to me this fast."

Madoka giggled. "Wow, that really is something. They must be able to sense what a good person your friend is."

Ryuta smiled as he watched the spectacle of Takuya being pulled in all directions by the kids. "Yeah, he really is a good guy isn't he." Then he sighed. 'My friend? That's what she called him. So I'm not just imagining things? It's been so long since I've had an actual friend. I've almost forgotten what it feels like,' Ryuta thought to himself. 'Takuya, thank you.'

Madoka gasped. "Yanasai-san, are you okay?! You're crying!"

"Huh?" Ryuta replied in confusion. Then he rubbed his eyes and examined his hands. They were wet; he was indeed crying. He smiled. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I think I just got some sand in my eye. No biggie." He knew exactly why he was crying. These were tears of joy. For the first time in so long, Ryuta felt free. 'Thank you so much, for all you've done for me,' he thought to himself.

"…" Shinichi silently watched the scene from afar. Then he smiled. "He really is an amazing person, isn't he?" he said to himself.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, After School**

Things were slow in the arts and clubs building that day, especially on the fourth floor. Barely anyone was there and the hallway was almost completely silent, which is why it was so easy to hear the beautiful music coming from the orchestra club room. Two people sat in the clubroom, Yurika Owari and Reisuke Hirabayashi. Yurika was sitting in one of the chairs at the front of the room and was slowly swaying back and forth as she played a melody on her violin while her eyes were closed. She effortlessly strummed the strings of her instrument with her bow; she played as if she was almost in some kind of trance. And with each note that rang out the glorious melody continued. Hirabayashi was silently sitting on the teacher's desk and watching as the girl opposite to him played her heart out. He was in complete awe of the girl and her talent. Yurika played her violin so beautifully that if one became enchanted by her melody they might mistake her as an angel, and Hirabayashi could still not believe that he was dating this "angel" even though three months of bliss had already passed.

Back when he still attended Yousha, he was very close to his two young kouhai, Yurika Owari and Michiko Endou. All three of them were orphans raised by Yousha Academy in one of their many charitable programs, and they all loved music, so they had a lot in common. Even though they were younger than him, Hirabayashi felt that the two girls were his closest friends. And he cared for them both deeply, almost like they were his own flesh and blood sisters. He would talk to them and help them inside club and outside it as well. And deep down he knew that both girls had feelings for him that went beyond what he felt for them. Which is why it only made it harder to leave them both behind. He never even considered falling in love with either of them, at least not until three months ago when by pure coincidence he reconnected with Yurika again. He didn't intend to get any further involved with her, she was like a younger sister to him after all, but as he soon found out, you cannot choose who you fall in love with.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _It was a rainy day, and Hirabayashi was heading back to his apartment after attending a lecture at his university. Hirabayashi had been stressed out recently over his classes, he had made a few bad grades and now he felt as if he was in danger of failing. He was studying and working so hard to achieve his dream of becoming a teacher and inspiring students just like his Homeroom teacher inspired him all those years ago. And yet, no matter what he did it just seemed like it wasn't enough. He was starting to wonder if the universe was giving him a sign that he wasn't meant to be a teacher and that he should give up and move on to something else. 'I don't want to drop out, but at the rate I'm going I don't have that many options. I can't keep up with all the work, I'm exhausted all the time,' he thought to himself as he walked down the sidewalk in the rain, holding his umbrella in one hand. He sighed. 'Maybe I should just quit and look for another career choice, if I can't survive this much work myself than how am I ever going to do the same to challenge my students? Even if I did somehow become a teacher, the way I am right now, I'd just be cheating them out of a good education.'_

 _He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and then angled his umbrella up in the air and allowed the raindrops from above to fall on top of him. 'I don't know what to do,' he thought to himself. And that's when he heard it, through a slight shift in the muffle of the rain fall. A beautiful melody. Someone was playing an instrument, no doubt about it. It was too clear to be something on the radio. Curious, Hirabayashi decided to investigate. He followed the sound of the music until he came across a small courtyard clearing hidden in between a few buildings. And that was when he saw a girl playing a violin. She was sitting down on a bench with a large umbrella covering her seating place and keeping her dry. It was then that Hirabayashi recognized the song she was playing. It was the first part of the famous "Rosary Sonatas", "Joyful Mysteries" by Biber. He had heard that song before when he attended his former school's orchestra club. But he had never heard it be played so beautifully. Filled with even more curiosity, Hirabayashi approached the girl and got a good look at her. Judging by her appearance, she was up to no good. 'A girl like this out in the city, there's no doubt what she was doing. Or at least what she's planning to do. But still how does she know how to play the violin so well?' Hirabayashi asked himself as he watched her in silence._

 _The girl continued playing for a few more minutes before finally she stopped at Sonata No. 6, the beginning of the next part of the series. Then she rested her violin down in her lap and simply stared off into space. "Umm, excuse me? Aren't you going to play the rest?" he said abruptly, frightening the girl._

" _Wh-What the hell?! How long have you been standing there?!" the girl exclaimed._

" _Umm, I'd say I arrived somewhere around the start of Sonata No. 4. That's Biber you're playing, isn't it? The "Rosary Sonatas"? You're really quite good," Hirabayashi replied._

" _Y-You know Biber?" the girl asked in confusion._

" _I was in my school's orchestra club back in high school," Hirabayashi replied. "I remember hearing it, that song was actually one of my friend's favorites."_

" _I…I see," the girl replied. Then she scoffed and shook her head. "No wait, what gives you the right to spy on me like that?! Are you some kind of creep or something?! Well you can just get lost because I can tell you right now, nothing is going to happen! Despite my looks, I'm not that kind of girl!"_

 _Hirabayashi sighed in relief. "Well that's a weight off my shoulders. A pretty, young girl like you should never even think about doing something so…well the point is it's good that you're not doing anything like that," Then he smiled at the girl. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you, I just heard you playing and I wanted to come and see the artist behind the art. That's all, just simple curiosity."_

" _You…you really liked it?" the girl replied._

" _I loved it, if you ask me, Biber himself would be very proud of you," Hirabayashi replied._

 _The girl made a small smile. "Thanks. I've been practicing it a lot. I just have the first part down though, that's why I stopped before."_

" _I see, so what are you doing out here exactly? This seems like sort of an odd place to practice, no?" Hirabayashi replied._

"…" _the girl was silent at first._

 _Then Hirabayashi made the bold choice of sitting down on the bench beside the girl. "Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's just I've been going through some problems recently too, and I thought maybe I could offer a sympathetic ear."_

 _The girl sighed. "If you must know, I'm in my third year at my high school so I'm getting prepared to apply to art schools. I want to be a professional violinist one day, there's nothing I love more than playing. Earlier today a local one was offering auditions for early admissions so I thought I would go and see what they thought of my music. I played for them the same sonatas you just heard and at the end I was expecting them to offer me a spot right away, but instead they just turned me down."_

" _Turned you down? Why? Like I said before, that was beautiful," Hirabayashi replied._

" _Apparently, they don't want applicants to apply with any traditional songs. They said that if I want to be a true musician I have to learn to write my own compositions," the girl replied._

" _So they rejected you just because you didn't play an original song? That's messed up," Hirabayashi replied._

 _The girl sighed. "Granted, it was probably mentioned in the application somewhere. But I wouldn't know because I just skimmed through it." Hirabayashi laughed in reply and the girl got embarrassed. "Stop laughing, it's not funny!" She looked down at the ground. "I've never written an original composition before, I wouldn't even know where to begin."_

" _Hey, no worries," Hirabayashi replied. "Talent like yours is hard to ignore. All you have to do is keep at it and I'm sure you'll come up with a sound all your own."_

" _A sound all my own?" the girl repeated Hirabayashi's words. "Heh, funny. One of the old senpai in my orchestra club used to say that same phrase."_

" _One of your old senpai?" Hirabayashi repeated in confusion._

 _The girl nodded. "Yeah, he was really smart and kind, he would always help my best friend and I out with whatever we needed. To be honest, I had such a huge crush on him." She turned to face Hirabayashi. "You actually remind me of him a lot, Onii-san," the girl replied. Then she got a good look at Hirabayashi's face and a few moments later her eyes went wide with insight. "No way! H-Hirabayashi-senpai?!"_

" _You know my name?" Hirabayashi replied in confusion. Then he got a good look at the girl's face. Her fashion style was different, as was her hair color, but her eyes were the same. This was one of those two girls that he cared for deeply. Yurika Owari. "O-Owari-chan, is that you?"_

 _Suddenly, Yurika began to tear up and then without any warning she grabbed Hirabayashi and pulled him into a hug. "It's you! It's really you!"_

 _Hirabayashi was confused but before he knew it he was hugging Yurika back. Then after a few more moments they pulled away. "I can't believe it; you've really changed...a lot. I remember you being much more hyper and happy, and your fashion sense was a lot more traditional," Hirabayashi joked. "Now you look like you've gone full-on kogal. Is that still even a thing?"_

" _Shut up, dummy!" Yurika replied. Then she looked away for a moment. "More importantly, do you remember what I said before about having a crush on someone?"_

" _I believe that someone was me, and I also believe you said it was a_ _ **huge**_ _crush," Hirabayashi replied with a smile._

"…" _Yurika's face turned as red as a tomato._

 _Hirabayashi grabbed Yurika's left hand and got her to look back at him. "Truth be told, I kind of figured you liked me that way. That's why I tried to pull away as much as possible. I didn't want to hurt you."_

" _Dummy! That's no reason to push someone away! So what if I liked you that way?! You should be grateful a girl like me thinks that way about a guy like you!" Yurika exclaimed._

 _Hirabayashi chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that. But you should know one thing, it's not like I never thought about it."_

"…" _Yurika's face went red again. "R-Really?"_

 _Hirabayashi nodded. "You were really cute and cheerful, and you and I had a lot in common. But still we were three years apart, no, we are three years apart. That's kind of a big age gap. And I have to admit, I was afraid that if I tried anything it could ruin the relationship we already had. So I ignored your feelings. And for that I'm truly sorry."_

"…" _Yurika thought about her reply a few moments before she spoke. "And now?"_

" _And now?" Hirabayashi repeated in confusion._

" _Do you still feel the same way about me now?" Yurika replied._

 _This time, Hirabayashi went red in the face. "W-Well…that's…umm…well...I…you…we…"_

" _Oh for God's sake!" Yurika exclaimed and then leaned in and caught Hirabayashi by surprise by suddenly kissing him. Hirabayashi didn't know what to do about this development at first but within moments, he found himself kissing Yurika back. Then after a few more moments they separated and stared into each other's eyes, while sharing a matching red blush on their faces. "Well, any sparks?" Yurika asked._

 _Hirabayashi smiled at the younger girl. "Will you please be my girlfriend?"_

* * *

Just as Yurika finished playing her final sonata, Hirabayashi came back to his senses. She sat her violin and bow down in her lap and she looked up at him. "Well, what do you think? Have I gotten any better?"

Hirabayashi smiled at his girlfriend and then softly applauded. "You were wonderful. You do Biber great justice."

Yurika sighed. "Thanks, but even if I can learn to play the whole composition it doesn't really matter. No one's ever going to get hear it. Michiko's already told me it's too long to play at the venue or any future concert we hold, even if I get a solo part it's still sixteen sonatas in total, that's too long of a time for anyone to sit quietly and fully listen. And that makes it too long for an audition as well."

"Well to be honest, that kind of makes me happy. I'm the only one who will ever get to hear you play it. It makes the song more special that way, don't you think?" He blushed. "Like it's our song, or something?"

Yurika matched her boyfriend's blush. "G-Geez, you say some really embarrassing things sometimes." She looked away and smiled.

"So you never did tell me. How did your last audition go?" Hirabayashi asked out of curiosity. "You said that school from before was giving you another chance, right?"

Yurika's eyes widened momentarily and then they went back to normal. She kept looking away though. "Yeah, they called me about it almost three weeks ago. They said that I had talent and so they were willing to make an exception for me. As long as I submitted an original composition to them for their perusal I would be guaranteed a spot for next year's enrollment."

"That's great, people are finally starting to recognize how gifted you really are, Yuri," Hirabayashi replied.

She frowned. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well do you think you can play me some of it? I'd really like to hear the song that you created. Coming from the artist herself, it just makes the experience seem more magical," Hirabayashi replied.

"…" Yurika started fidgeting. "I…I can't, I only made one copy of the sheet music and I already submitted that to the school."

"Don't you remember how it goes?" Hirabayashi replied.

"Yeah but, I don't think I should…" Yurika tried to reply.

"Can you at least play me the opening? You worked so hard on it, I'd feel bad if I didn't get to hear it at least once," Hirabayashi replied.

"I said, I can't! Alright?!" Yurika suddenly shouted at Hirabayashi.

"…" Hirabayashi was stunned by his girlfriend's sudden outburst. And for almost half a minute there was complete silence in the clubroom. Then finally Hirabayashi got up the nerve to talk again. "Yuri, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Yurika replied in a soft tone.

"You're not fine. I can tell when you're keeping things bottled up inside. Tell me, what's on your mind?" Hirabayashi asked out of concern.

"…" Yurika was silent.

"Are you afraid that people aren't going to like it? Yuri, that's ridiculous. You're so talented, there's no doubt that the school's going to think it's amazing. And even if they don't like it, who cares? It's a song you, the girl I love, wrote…" Hirabayashi reached out and grabbed his girlfriend's hands. "…so I want to hear it no matter what. And just know, that I'm going to love it no matter what."

"…" Yurika didn't speak but she looked her boyfriend in the eyes.

"You're incredibly gifted, Yurika. And you practice so hard; other people may not see it, but I do. Music is always on your mind, it's in your heart, it's in your soul. You have a beautiful song to share with the world, Yuri. Never doubt that," Hirabayashi replied. Then his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Yurika start to cry.

"Reisuke, I think I…I think I…I think I did a really bad thing," Yurika struggled with getting out her reply. Her tears wouldn't stop no matter how much she wiped them away.

"Bad thing? Yuri, what are you talking about?" Hirabayashi replied.

"I…I killed her," Yurika mumbled through her tears.

Hirabayashi's eyes widened in shock. "Killed?! Yuri, what are you going on about?!"

Then it happened, Yurika told Hirabayashi the whole story. She did her best to calm down and carefully to describe the events of the past few weeks to her boyfriend. The more she talked about it, the more shock Hirabayashi's face showed. Yurika knew that by telling him all of this, she might very well lose him. But she couldn't take it anymore, she had to let somebody know what she had done. The guilt was too much for her to bear anymore. After a few minutes Yurika finished her story. "And that's it. I can't apologize or anything, now. She's gone. She's gone and she's not coming back. I don't know what to do, Reisuke. I'm so scared," she said softly. She was beginning to tear up again.

"…" Hirabayashi was stunned into silence.

"Reisuke?" Yurika called out to her boyfriend.

"…" still Hirabayashi was silent.

"Reisuke, please! Don't leave me!" Yurika exclaimed.

Then without another word, Hirabayashi crept closer to Yurika and then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, It's okay," he said as he rubbed her back. Yurika then began to cry into Hirabayashi's shirt. Then when her tears were dried, Yurika began to speak again, while Hirabayashi still had his arms wrapped around her.

"You…you forgive me? You aren't going to leave again?" Yurika asked as she sniffled.

"Never," Hirabayashi replied. "I love you, that will never change," he said with conviction. "But am I upset with your actions? Yes, of course. How could I not be? But I forgive you, because you told me what you did wrong. You made a mistake, you didn't know what would happen because of it. You couldn't have predicted that girl's actions. And the fact that you're feeling so remorseful over it speaks volumes." Then he pulled away a little bit and looked into Yurika's eyes. "Right now, I'm disappointed in you. And I think you should confess this to the Headmaster and the school you were applying to as well, and accept whatever punishment comes your way. But no matter what you do, I will never stop loving you. I promise you that."

"Reisuke," Yurika whispered her boyfriend's name. She smiled and then hugged him back. "I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry. But thank you, thank you for forgiving me." Then she pulled back a little bit and looked at him in the eyes again.

"…" neither of them said nothing for a few moments and they just stared into each other's eyes. Until finally, they craned their necks and leaned in for a kiss. It was as if the world around them disappeared, and all that was there was that very moment. They were the only two people in existence, and nothing else mattered. They were so captivated by that moment, that neither one of them noticed the clubroom door opening and someone walking in.

"Yurika, Hirabayashi-senpai! I'm sorry about the hold up, did I keep you two waiting lo…?" Michiko was cut off when she saw Yurika and Hirabayashi in the middle of a kiss. And suddenly Michiko's cheerful demeanor vanished and surprise took hold of it.

Yurika and Hirabayashi quickly pulled away from each other. "Michiko, I…I…!" Yurika struggled to find the words. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"…" Michiko's surprise was suddenly replaced with a sad frown.

"Endou-chan, we can explain!" Hirabayashi exclaimed. "We were just…just…!"

"You two are dating, right?" Michiko simply asked.

"…" Yurika and Hirabayashi were silent.

"I kind of figured it out already," Michiko replied. "I've had a feeling for the past few months that Yurika had a secret boyfriend. But who would've thought it would be you, Hirabayashi-senpai?"

"…" still they were silent.

"It's natural for couples to kiss, I was just caught by surprise is all," Michiko replied. She then politely bowed. "I've disturbed your private moment, I'm so sorry. What do you say we all just try and meet up here again tomorrow?"

"Endou-chan," Hirabayashi softly replied.

Michiko turned to leave the clubroom but Yurika grabbed her hand before she could. "Michiko, wait! You don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?" Michiko replied without looking at the other girl. "You were still in love with Senpai, so you confessed and now you're dating. It seems pretty simple to me."

"…" Yurika didn't know what to say to make things better between her and her friend. Then she noted the absence of a certain trinket that was usually on her friend's right wrist. "You're not wearing your friendship bracelet?"

"Oh, that old thing? Yeah, I guess I lost it," Michiko replied.

"But I remember seeing you wearing it earlier this afternoon," Yurika replied.

"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" Michiko briefly turned back to show her friend that tears were streaming down her face. "It must have broken off somehow." Then she took away her hand from Yurika's grasp and ran out of the clubroom.

"…" Yurika was in shock.

"…" Hirabayashi just looked on from afar. He knew this was his fault, he purposely ignored the obvious and this was the result. Michiko was hurt deeply by Yurika's actions, when really Yurika was just another victim. This was his fault and no one else's, and yet he couldn't admit it. And because of that, Yurika and Michiko's friendship may have just ended right before his eyes. And little did he know, that in just a few days' time, a horrible tragedy would befall one of the girls and things would never be the same between him and the other girl again.

* * *

A/N: Love can be a very cruel thing. It begets lust, vanity, and envy of the worst kind. I wonder, does our hero's first ordeal revolve around this wicked emotion? Well, we shall find out. In due time.

(Onto Chapter XX, it's the last one for a bit unfortunately.)


	23. Chapter XX

A/N: As another day draws to its closing, it appears our young hero has gained a new ally. What will come of this? Let us see, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XX: Three members and counting**

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Evening**

When Takuya, Ryuta, and Shinichi returned from Yoshiaki's daycare the sun had already gone down, so as soon as they got back to the Yousha Academy campus, they went straight to the dining hall to have a well-deserved dinner. Well actually Takuya and Ryuta were the only ones who ate, Shinichi mainly just watched the two living boys eat and talked to them. Then about an hour later, the three boys made their way back to the boys' dorms. Ryuta led the charge, while Takuya and Shinichi dragged behind. Takuya was dragging behind because he was exhausted from the events of today; after facing off against a centaur-like Shadow Ryuta, he was forced to play around with a group of hyperactive kids for about four more hours. Shinichi was dragging behind mainly because he felt indebted to Takuya for sticking by his side when he was exhausted after using his Spirit Bomb skill. Ryuta however, seemed to be brimming with energy. It was actually starting to annoy Takuya and Shinichi.

"Man, today was awesome!" Ryuta exclaimed. "It started out pretty bad but you guys really helped me out! And in the end I got freaking super powers! I mean did you see me out there?! I was dodging my Shadow's attacks like they were nothing with that killer naginata! Not to mention Kuebiko, he kicks ass! And he actually looks really cool compared to your Personas! That was so epic! The three of us make a really cool team, don't you think?!"

"Ugh! We get it! It was amazing! We were there, remember?!" Shinichi shouted at Ryuta. He rubbed his head in agony. "Geez, why can't you be freaked out about all of this like Ayuka? All of your acceptance of this craziness and willingness to just dismiss it as cool is actually kind of annoying."

"Well I was freaked out at first, but I got over it really fast," Ryuta replied. "That's kind of how it's always been when I experience something new. Shock and awe doesn't really have that much staying power with me, I guess."

"You just awakened to your Persona today, and then you still had energy to chase around those kids at the daycare for a few hours. How are you not exhausted, yet?" Takuya asked.

"I've always had a lot of energy too, not that much tires me out," Ryuta replied.

"In that case, you yourself might be more amazing than everything else we've seen," Takuya replied sarcastically.

"Thanks," Ryuta replied.

"Wasn't a compliment," Takuya replied. Then Takuya walked on ahead, determined to get to his room and get some much needed rest. 'I might just crash in my clothes again today, I'm too tired to worry about hygiene,' he thought to himself.

"Hang on, you're not forgetting your promise to me earlier, are you?" Ryuta asked.

"Promise?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"You guys promised me that when you got the chance you would explain to me everything you know about what all happened today, remember?" Ryuta replied.

"Oh yeah," Takuya replied in an exhausted tone. Then he yawned. "Can we please just talk about it tomorrow?"

"I lost a day and a half of time, I think I'm owed an explanation as to what happened to me," Ryuta argued.

"Look, we're more than willing to tell you whatever you want to know, but all three of us need our sleep," Shinichi replied, sticking up for Takuya.

"You're a ghost, do you even need to sleep?" Ryuta asked Shinichi.

"Don't be ghostophobic, I'll have you know that I enjoy my sleep just as much as a living person does," Shinichi replied.

'Technically though, yeah, he doesn't need to sleep,' Takuya thought to himself, recalling last night's discussion with Shinichi.

"Look, the point is there's a lot that we need to fill you in on and you're only going to be able to process it all if you get some sleep," Shinichi explained to Ryuta.

Ryuta sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. I guess my questions can wait a night. But I expect to be brought in the loop tomorrow. Are we clear?"

"You've got it," Takuya replied.

"Alright what do you say we meet on the high school rooftop tomorrow after afternoon classes?" Ryuta asked.

"Sounds good," Takuya replied.

"Fine with me," Shinichi replied.

"Okay, it's a date," Ryuta replied with a chuckle.

Then the three boys continued their walk back to their rooms at the end of the hall. When they reached their neighboring doors, Ryuta pulled his room key out of his pocket and then unlocked his door. Then before going inside and preparing for bed, Ryuta looked back at Takuya and Shinichi. "Hey just in case I didn't make the point clear before. I really appreciate what you guys did for me. Thank you, for risking your lives to come and save me," said Ryuta. He appeared to be truly speaking from the heart.

"It was no problem at all. We just couldn't abandon you," Takuya replied.

"Besides, I don't even really have a life so I wasn't risking that much," Shinichi added.

Ryuta chuckled and nodded. "Still though, thanks. See you guys tomorrow," Ryuta replied before entering his room and shutting his door behind him. Now alone in the hallway, Takuya and Shinichi figured they had best retire for the night as well. Takuya pulled out his room key and unlocked his door, and then he and Shinichi entered their now shared room.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Night**

About half an hour later, Takuya was lying down in his bed in preparation for sleep. Then his phone vibrated, letting him know that he had just received a text message. He brought his phone up to his face and lazily checked his recent messages; the overwhelming exhaustion from today was really starting to take its toll on him. He saw that the latest message came from his other friend who had recently been party to the world of Limbo, Ayuka Yamasato. Her message read: _Hey, I didn't hear from you after our talk at lunch. I tried to find you after classes let out but I guess you must've already gone off to save Ryuta Yanasai by then, huh? Well how did it go? Is he alright?_

Sensing his friend's concern, Takuya hastily texted her back a reply: _Yeah, sorry. Shinichi and I had to go look for him as soon as possible. But don't worry, we found him and he's safe and sound now. We just got back to the boys' dorm together a little while ago._ Then he pressed send.

Ayuka texted back: _Oh, thank goodness. ^ &^ How did it go? You didn't run into any more trouble in Limbo this time, did you?_

Takuya texted back: _There were a few complications, but nothing Shinichi and I couldn't handle. Plus, we had someone else as backup. I know it sounds kind of hard to believe, but at the last moment, Ryuta awakened to a Persona. Get this, he's a Grim Reaper now too!_ Then he pressed send.

Ayuka texted back: _Whoa, really?! So that means all three of you are wrapped up in this now?! :-0_

Takuya texted back: _Well the four of us really, if you count yourself. :-P_

Ayuka texted back: _I don't have any powers! Big difference! :-3_ Then a few moments later she sent another text: _But it means a lot that you're trying to keep me in the loop at least. I promise my lips are sealed. :-x So, you're not heading in again tomorrow?_

Takuya texted back: _Not unless it's an emergency, going into Limbo two days in a row is really exhausting. I'm having trouble staying awake right now as it is. u_u_

Ayuka texted back: _Then stop texting me and get some sleep! A growing boy needs to rest! :-|_

Takuya lightly chuckled and then sent back a reply: _Okay mom. :-T So tomorrow do you want to have lunch together again up on the high school rooftop?_

Ayuka texted back: _Ooh, Miyazaki-kun aren't you sly? Trying to casually ask a girl out on a lunch date. ;) JK. LOL. But seriously, I think I'm going to be busy tomorrow. There's something I have to do. But if you want we can definitely have lunch again together Wednesday. I'll even make us lunch again if you'd like._

Takuya texted back: _Sounds good. I loved what you made today, especially the fried egg. I guess I'll talk to you again tomorrow then. Good night._

And about half a minute later, Ayuka texted back a reply: _I'm glad to hear it, I'll be sure to bring more next time. Night Mr. Reaper. Don't let the Shadows bite. :-P_

Takuya simply texted back what he was feeling: _-_-;_

"Who are you texting?" Shinichi asked out of curiosity.

"Just Ayuka," Takuya replied. "She wanted to know what happened with Ryuta."

"The two of you have gotten awfully chummy considering you just met each other yesterday," Shinichi replied with a smug grin. "Do you by any chance have a thing for her?"

Takuya lightly blushed. "What kind of question is that? I barely know her."

"You don't have to know someone that well to have a crush on them," Shinichi replied. "And the same could be said for girls too."

"It's not like that, she knows about us and Limbo so it's only right to keep her in the loop," Takuya replied.

"Okay, but let me ask you this. Was Ryuta the only thing you talked about or did you two also plan to have lunch together again like you did today?"

Takuya's blush deepened. "Sh-Shut up." Then Takuya's phone vibrated again and he saw that he had received another text, this time it was from his cousin, Fuyumi Miyazaki.

"Another one? Who is it this time?" Shinichi asked.

"My cousin, I better see what she wants," Takuya replied. Then he opened the text message and read its contents: _Hey, how was your first official day of school? You didn't fall asleep in class did you?_

Takuya texted back: _It was fine, and no I was wide awake thank you very much._

A few moments later Fuyumi texted back: _Whatever you say. BTW, Yamasato-san asked me in class earlier today if I could give her your contact info. Since when did the two of you become so close?_

Takuya texted back: _I helped her finish cleaning the orchestra clubroom yesterday after you left for your Student Council meeting. We got to talking and it turns out we have a lot in common._

Fuyumi texted back: _Already trying to land yourself a girlfriend, I see._

Takuya texted back: _No, it's not like that. She's just a cool girl to talk with._

Fuyumi texted back: _Are you sure? Because I saw that she had an awfully lot of food prepared for lunch today, and she seemed really giddy after I gave her you contact info. My nosy cousin senses tell me that you two had a lunch date together._

Takuya texted back: _It was not a date!_

Fuyumi texted back: _Aha! Busted! But it's not like I care that much, just don't try and take advantage of her, okay Romeo? Yamasato-san is a nice girl._

Takuya groaned and texted back: _Fine, whatever. Ayuka's a good friend, I don't intent to hurt her._

Fuyumi texted back: _Ayuka? You're even on a first name basis? Moving kind of fast, don't you think? Well whatever. Like I said, I don't care. Good night._

Takuya texted back: _The fact that you say you don't care just means you do care, cuz. Anyway, night._

"Oh, you go for the taboo stuff then?" Shinichi asked.

Takuya's blush deepened, and then he pulled his bed sheets over himself and turned to face the wall. "Shut up, I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Night," Shinichi playfully replied as he laid down on his sleeping bag.

* * *

 **Monday, 4/13 20XX, Night**

Ryuta Yanasai sat on his bed as he thought over the events that transpired today. He held a framed picture in his hands and every occasional moment, he would take a glance at it. Then he would look up at the wall that separated his room from Takuya's. He had done this for about half an hour now. Finally, he looked down at the picture one more time and took every detail of it in. It was a picture taken of a memory that he cherished deeply, his younger sister Natsu's first day of middle school. It was also the first day that they had gotten to attend school together, and to celebrate the occasion Natsu demanded that they take a picture. He remembered the date this picture was taken as well; it was just three months before the incident took place that changed Ryuta's life forever.

"…" he stared at the picture in silence. Ryuta knew that the events of today had proven that he did not have to let his past define his future, and yet he couldn't help but feel some lingering doubt about the past that he had left behind in Nagoya; his friends, family, and Natsu. "Natsu, can you ever forgive me for abandoning you?" The fact of the matter was, since relocating to Yousha Academy a year ago he had not heard a single word from Natsu; even when his parents called to check in from time to time, Natsu was either always out or too busy to talk. But even still he had not attempted to get in touch with her personally; he felt that severing ties with her and his family was the best thing to do after all. But now, he was regretting that decision so much. In these dark times, the one who always talked to him and comforted him was his sister, and now he had pushed her away. "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry."

* * *

 **Tuesday** **, 4/14 20XX, Morning**

So far it had been a pretty uneventful morning for Takuya. Shinichi headed off by himself to continue his surveillance of Student Council President Michiko Endou, and Takuya went off to his Homeroom class. Half an hour later, Takuya was sitting at his desk in silence and looking outside one of the classroom windows. It was times like these that he was grateful to have a window seat, he could just sit back and let his thoughts consume him. One thought especially had been weighing heavy on his mind that morning. 'I feel like I've forgotten about something. Something important,' he thought to himself. What was it exactly? He didn't feel like it was anything concerning Limbo, Grim Reapers, or Personas. Everything involving them was already hardwired into his brain despite not knowing anything until three nights ago. Compared to that it felt insignificant in nature, but on some level still important. 'Ugh, I'm drawing a total blank.'

"Morning, dude," a familiar voice said to Takuya. He turned and saw that the voice belonged to his desk neighbor that he had met yesterday, Kyou Kurokami.

"Morning, Kyou," Takuya replied. Then he got a good look at Kyou's face and was a little taken back. Kyou looked almost half-dead, he must have been purely exhausted. "Umm, are you okay? You look kind of…no, really tired," Takuya said in concern.

"Yeah, I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, to be honest," Kyou replied as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"What happened? I didn't think you'd run yourself into the ground just to make sure you're on time," Takuya replied.

Kyou sighed in exhaustion and then sat down at his desk. "Well after you left yesterday, I was stuck with afternoon detention curtesy of Gasai that didn't let out until 18:00. My afternoon shift at work starts right after school gets out, so needless to say my boss was pretty pissed at me being almost three hours late for work. So he punished me by making me work like a dog until closing time, which isn't until 22:00. So after that I also had to do my chores, make dinner, and do my homework. And that took all of about three hours. So when I finally got into bed at around 1:00 I was exhausted. But my stupid cats wouldn't let me rest and instead wanted to play. I finally got them and myself to bed at around 4:00, but that's when my alarm went off. I forgot I had set it for 4:00 so I could finish my morning shift and make it to school on time to avoid being tardied yet again. And that's the whole story. I haven't slept at all since the night before last."

"Geez, that sounds rough," Takuya replied. "Your job sounds really stressful."

"The job itself isn't actually that bad, but my boss is a little over the top. There's honestly no pleasing him half the time. Usually whatever I do isn't right or just isn't up to his standards so I have to keep re-doing tasks over and over and over again until I get them the way he wants them to be," Kyou replied in an exhausted tone.

"That seems like a toxic work environment. Have you talked to your parents about this? Surely they would be concerned about your problems?" Takuya replied.

"…" Kyou was silent at first. Then he just scoffed and muttered, "Doubt it," under his breath.

"Huh?" Takuya replied.

"Nothing," Kyou replied. "My folks and I just don't get along that well, okay? Just drop it."

"…" Clearly family was a sore subject for Kyou. Takuya thought it best to just comply with Kyou's wishes and not press him harder.

Kyou sighed. "Sorry, I'm just so tired. But I know I shouldn't complain, about my boss or anything in my life for that matter. I'm alive and kicking, that's all that matters." He smiled. "Besides, my boss isn't really that bad. That damn old geezer can actually be pretty cool when he's in the right mood."

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always happy to listen," Takuya replied.

"Thanks, man," Kyou replied. "But enough about my horrible night, I've got a question about yesterday's reading. You seem pretty smart for the most part; you think you could help me out?"

"Reading?" Takuya repeated the word in confusion.

"Yeah, you know the reading that Gasai assigned yesterday?" Kyou clarified. "There are some things discussed in the last few pages that I don't really get. I know this is kind of embarrassing but I'm actually not the best when it comes to History." He scoffed. "I know right? History is just memorization; how could I not be good at it? Well, truth be told I don't have the best memory so I tend to forget what I don't really deem important."

"Wait, wait, back up. There was assigned reading?" Takuya replied.

"…" Kyou was confused at first, but then his eyes widened with insight. "Oh dude, don't tell me you forgot to do your homework."

"…" Takuya was silent at first, but a few moments later he began to panic. "Oh crap! I completely spaced on it!" he exclaimed. "Think dammit, think! Was there any other homework?!" Takuya asked himself. He shook his head. "No just the reading! Okay!" Takuya quickly rummaged through his bag and retrieved his Japanese History book. "Kyou, quick what were the pages! I can just read them really quick and I'll be good!"

"Pages 145-190," Kyou replied in a concerned tone. "But there's only like five minutes till Homeroom starts, can you read that much in just five minutes?"

"I can at least skim them!" Takuya exclaimed in a positive tone. "That way I'll be prepared if Gasai-sensei asks any questions!" Takuya quickly turned to the appropriate page in his book. "When he assigns reading he doesn't get too involved in it right?!"

"…" Kyou didn't answer.

"Kyou, right?!" Takuya replied.

"For your sake I hope you retain stuff very easily," Kyou replied with an added sigh.

'Shit!' Takuya inwardly exclaimed as he began to quickly skim the assigned reading. As he did so he prayed that he would be able to remember at least most of it. He remembered yesterday that the class was just learning about the Sengoku Period. 'The age of the samurai. That should be easy to remember if I just have a broad idea on everything,' Takuya thought to himself. However, he could not have been more wrong. His Japanese History book went into incredible detail about every single aspect of the era in question, from beginning to end. Listing the names of not just the well-known Sengoku Generals of the time, but also the names of what seemed to be every single person who had a hand in the battles and significant events. It was impossible to retain all of this information. Then he heard the morning bell ring and his world fell apart. 'Shiiiiiiiitttttt!' he inwardly exclaimed. He looked at the page number and saw that he was only at Page 165. Over a good twenty pages from the ending point.

"So how far did you get?" Kyou asked.

"Only twenty pages in, there was just too much information. Even if I was just skimming. What kind of anal prick would write such an unnecessarily complicated text book?" Takuya asked.

"Check the front cover," Kyou replied. Takuya did as he was instructed and saw a very familiar name on the cover that he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before: _Morishige Gasai_. "That's right, the pain in the ass wrote his own text book just to torment us."

And just at that moment, that very same pain in the ass named Morishige Gasai entered the classroom. "Good morning class," said Mr. Gasai.

"Good morning, Sensei," the rest of the class replied.

Then just as Mr. Gasai was about to shut the door behind him, Hirabayashi finally showed up. "Wait for me!" he exclaimed as he rushed into the classroom.

"…" he was met with a sea of awkward stares.

"Umm…good morning, class," said Hirabayashi.

"Good morning, Sensei," the class said less enthusiastically.

"…" Hirabayashi nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Mr. Gasai sighed in exhaustion. "Please take a seat for now, Hirabayashi-kun. I'll let you know when I need you," he said as he motioned to the chair next to the chalk board.

"R-Right," Hirabayashi replied before making his way to his seat and sitting down.

After a quick attendance rollcall, Mr. Gasai immediately started Homeroom. "Okay class, let's dive right in shall we? We will now discuss yesterday's reading. Who would like to start us off?" Mr. Gasai asked.

"Ugh, what do I do?" Takuya groaned and asked himself.

"Just try to stay positive and pray that he doesn't call on either of us," Kyou replied.

* * *

 **Tuesday** **, 4/14 20XX, Morning**

Meanwhile, upstairs in Class 3-A, Jack was adjusting to being back in class after her violent outburst yesterday. As the teacher took attendance, she lazily looked around the room. A few of her classmates were staring at her, some with hate in their eyes and some with fear in their eyes. She must have really pissed them off with her antics yesterday, either that or made them even more scared of her than they already were. 'Like I give a fuck, what all you assholes think of me,' Jack thought to herself as she turned her attention elsewhere. She took note of the bulletin board that stood in place of the hole in the wall she created yesterday, she figured her classmates must have covered it up at some point to conceal what had happened. Either that or the school just thought covering up the hole was cheaper than actually repairing the wall. The teacher got to the E's and then stopped.

"Endou-san?"

"…" there was no response.

"Michiko Endou-san?" the teacher clarified.

"…" again there was no response.

'Huh?' Jack thought to herself. She looked in the direction of Michiko's desk, which was across the room from her's. The desk was empty, Michiko was absent.

"Hmm, that's quite odd. Endou-san is never absent. Has anyone seen her this morning?" the teacher asked. Multiple people responded but the answer was more or less the same, no one had seen Michiko since yesterday. "Well there's a first time for everything I suppose, I'll just send someone to deliver her the work we're doing today. Alright, moving on." The teacher then continued on with attendance.

Jack recalled her spat with Michiko yesterday. 'Dammit, is she skipping class to avoid me? I didn't expect her to take what I said that seriously. I was pissed off, I didn't mean anything bad by it,' Jack thought to herself. Then she groaned and muttered under her breath, "Shit, now I have to go and apologize to her."

* * *

 **Tuesday** **, 4/14 20XX, Morning**

Meanwhile, in class 2-D, attendance was also being taken. It was pretty normal for the most part, until the teacher got to the I's. "Iwasa…?" the teacher was about to call out Haruna Iwasaki's name, before remembering the events from yesterday and seeing her empty seat. "Oh my apologies, it seems like Iwasaki-san's passing hasn't completely registered with me yet." A lot of the student in class 2-D turned to look at Haruna's desk which rested near the center of the room. The teacher sighed. "That poor girl, I wish there was something I could've done to help her," the teacher muttered to herself. "Alright class, moving on," then she continued on with attendance and most of the students who were staring at Haruna's now permanently empty desk looked away. All except for one. The mysterious boy named Tenshi.

'Her death is already at the back of their minds,' Tenshi thought to himself. 'Everyone's just moving on like normal, like nothing happened at all.'

Then Tenshi heard his name being called. "Yuki-san? Haise Yuki-san?"

Tenshi groaned in reply. He really hated that name. "Here," he replied softly and raised his hand. To Tenshi's surprise most of the classroom soon became abuzz with whispers and murmurs about him:

" _Yuki-kun is here again._ " " _Weird, he barely ever shows up to class, much less two days in a row._ " " _He disappeared after morning classes though._ " " _I wonder where he goes._ " " _There's only one word to describe that guy, weird._ " " _They call him the Ghost of Yousha, don't they?_ " " _Yeah, because of his weird hair color._ " " _Wait, that's not a dye job?_ " " _Nope, apparently it's au naturel._ " " _I don't think I've ever seen him this much before._ " " _First Iwasaki dies and now the Ghost of Yousha is becoming more sedentary. What's up with this week?_ "

Tenshi groaned again. 'If you've got time to gossip about me then why don't you take a moment and pray for Iwasaki dammit,' he thought to himself.

"Okay, class settle down. Now let's get to work, shall we? We'll start with a short review over what we learned yesterday…" the teacher droned on while Tenshi tuned out.

He looked back at Haruna's desk. 'Why? Why did you do it? I warned you, death is not peace. It's just more suffering,' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Tuesday** **, 4/14 20XX, Early Afternoon**

About two hours later, the high school classes were having their first break of the day. And in Class 3-B, Masako Akagawa was using that free-time to figure out how to best confront her friend Jackal Sario Sixx about the events from yesterday. Masako stared at the red book on her desk in distraught. With all the confusion yesterday, she still hadn't gotten a chance to return Jack's book. 'After her outburst she didn't come back for afternoon classes, and then when I went to collect her things from her class and bring them to her at the dorms, they were already gone. She must have come back sometime before and taken them,' Masako thought to herself. She began to pout. 'Is Sixx-san avoiding me?' Masako had been the one to convince Jack to stop her rampage before she hurt any of her classmates, but she was actually kind of happy that Jack stuck up for her. 'She might hate me now because of what I said about myself. But it's the truth, I'm not worth it. Why does she think I am?' She sighed. 'Maybe I should go ask Sixx-san if she wants to have lunch together today, then we can resolve our issues.' Masako didn't want to stop being friends with Jack; she wanted to retain their friendship, whatever the cost.

She nodded to herself. 'Okay, that's just what I'll do. I'll invite Sixx-san to lunch and tell her that I'm happy she stood up for me and I want to keep being friends with her,' Masako thought to herself. Her mind made up, Masako collected Jack's book and then made her way to the classroom's back door. When suddenly, to Masako's surprise, the door opened just as she was about to open it and startled her. Then a girl with short red hair walked into the classroom; Masako didn't know this at the time, but this was Ayuka Yamasato, one of Takuya's friends. "Eeeek!" Masako yelped in surprise and nearly fell backwards. Luckily, Ayuka caught her by her jacket before she could fall, and then helped her back onto her feet.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Ayuka asked out of concern.

Masako began to pant heavily, but after a few moments she calmed down and nodded. "I'm…alright. I was…just a little startled…that's all."

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Ayuka replied. "I'm Ayuka Yamasato."

Masako bowed. "Masako Akagawa, it's nice to meet you, Yamasato-san."

"If you don't mind my asking, what's a first year doing here on the third floor anyway?" Ayuka asked.

Masako blushed in embarrassment. "I'm actually a third year. I'm just not that tall."

Ayuka gasped and covered her mouth with her right hand. "Oh my gosh!" Then she bowed in forgiveness and clasped her hands together. "I'm so sorry, Akagawa-senpai. I meant no disrespect."

Masako sweatdropped at the other girl's over-politeness and waved her off. "No, no, it's quite alright. I know I'm rather short for my age. Really, no apology is necessary. Now can I help you with something, Yamasato-san?"

"Y-Yes, Senpai," Ayuka replied as she rose from her bow. "I actually came here because I'm looking for someone. One of the senpai in the orchestra club, Yurika Owari?"

"Oh, you're looking for Owari-san?" Masako asked.

Ayuka nodded. "Yes, I'm in the club with her and I need to ask her about some rather important things."

"Well I'm afraid she stepped out for the moment, she left class as soon as the bell rang," Masako replied. "And I don't really know where she went."

"Oh, I see," Ayuka replied with a frown.

"But if you want, you can just tell me the questions you need to ask her and I can pass them on to her for you," Masako replied.

Ayuka shook her head. "No, that's quite alright, Senpai. Can you just tell Owari-senpai that I want to talk with her and that I'll be in the clubroom as soon as afternoon classes end? I'm sure we'll be able to talk there."

Masako nodded. "Okay, sure. I'll pass on your message to her."

"Thank you, Senpai," Ayuka replied. Then she turned to exit the classroom. "It was nice meeting you," she said as she turned back to get one last look at Masako.

"It was nice meeting you as well, Yamasato-san," Masako replied as she waved goodbye to her kouhai. Then Ayuka left the classroom, and Masako returned to her previous objective. "Okay, enough stalling. I have to go invite Sixx-san to lunch before break ends." Then she too exited the classroom and headed to Classroom 3-A.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, Noon**

A little later on, lunchtime began, and all the high school students were dismissed from their respective classes. Takuya, having no other plans for lunch that day, agreed to take Kyou Kurokami up on his previous offer to have lunch together in the campus dining hall. Currently the two boys from Class 2-B were eating their meals at one of the small circular tables near the back of the dining hall, where Takuya had previously eaten his meals with his cousin. They were busy making small talk and discussing the events of the day so far.

"We have to be the two luckiest guys in the world right now. I seriously think this is the first time that Gasai has never called on me in class," Kyou explained. Then he sighed. "Sometimes, I think he just likes torturing me. He knows I can't remember most of the answers to his questions, and I always end up feeling so stupid because of it."

"Well even if he had called on me, I feel like I could've at least answered one of his questions partially right, I was able to retain some of the information from my skimming session and the discussion he gave about the reading," Takuya replied.

"At least you could follow along. To me, Gasai makes everything sound so complicated. And believe it or not, I actually love learning about samurais. They were my favorite history subject back in elementary and middle school," Kyou replied. "I always thought it was so cool how they would stand against all enemies and invaders even when they knew they were clearly outmatched. Especially the generals of the Sengoku Era, they were like gods in mortal form."

Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "I never really got into samurais when I was a kid. Ninjas are where it's at."

Kyou scoffed. "Are you kidding? Yukimura Sanada, Masamune Date, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Fierce warriors like them could crush any puny shinobi. Besides dressing all in black just makes you look kind of lame."

Takuya's Reaper outfit came to his mind. "Hey some people happen to like the dark look."

"Yeah they're called emos, and you don't want to be one of them," Kyou replied with a chuckle. Then he let out a yawn. "Man, I am exhausted," he said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Why don't you just skip afternoon classes and go to the infirmary to rest or something?" Takuya asked.

Kyou shook his head. "Gasai already gives me a hard time as it is, ditching his class is just giving him another reason to dislike me." Kyou shoveled some more food into his mouth before he continued talking. "But we don't have Gasai tomorrow except for Homeroom, so I might ditch after that and go home so I can catch up on sleep. My grades are okay and I don't really ever skip so missing one day won't make much of a difference."

"Well if anybody asks, I'll cover for you," Takuya replied.

"Thanks man," Kyou replied with an added chuckle.

"No problem, I feel like you would do the same for me if our situations were reversed," Takuya replied.

"Oi, Takuya!" a familiar voice suddenly exclaimed. Takuya turned his head in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see his dorm neighbor, Ryuta Yanasai walk over to him. He was carrying a tray of food with him, it looked like he didn't have anywhere else to sit down at. "Fancy seeing you here. I was going to check on you this morning but you must have already left for class. After getting some shut eye it suddenly occurred to me that we didn't have each other's contact information."

Takuya gasped. "Crap, I completely forgot about that too. If either one of us couldn't make our scheduled meetup we would have no way of letting the other know." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I inconvenienced you without even knowing about it."

Ryuta chuckled. "It's cool, dude. You're forgetting, it slipped my mind too." Then Ryuta noticed Kyou. "Oh sorry, I interrupted you guys' conversation. Who's your friend here, Takuya?"

"Kyou Kurokami," Kyou replied to Ryuta. "Just call me Kyou, I prefer it that way."

"Nice to meet you, Kyou. Name's Ryuta. Ryuta Yanasai," Ryuta replied.

Kyou's eyes widened slightly. "Ryuta Yanasai? You wouldn't happen to be the Yanasai in Class 2-C, would you?"

Ryuta's expression soured. "Yeah, I am. Is that a problem?"

Kyou shook his head. "No, not at all. Sorry, if I implied that it was. I just wanted to make sure I was putting the right face to the name. If it makes you feel any better, I don't read that stupid blog at all. I just heard some of the other kids in our class mention that your name was on it. But if you ask me you can't take third-rate gossip garbage like that seriously." Kyou scoffed. "Good people get slandered all the time, trust me I know."

Ryuta seemed to be in a better mood now. "Thanks, really. You don't know how long I've wanted someone to say those words to my face." He smiled at Kyou. "So you and Takuya are in the same class?"

Kyou nodded. "That's right. We happen to be desk neighbors."

Ryuta chuckled. "Get out, we're dorm neighbors." Then he looked to Takuya. "Guess you've got a knack for becoming friends with those close to you, eh?"

Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "Huh? I wouldn't say that any of us are really good friends yet. After all, I just met you two over these past few days. I barely know anything about either of you."

Ryuta pretended to be upset. "Hurtful! I thought the two of us got along really well!"

"Seriously! I take offense to that!" Kyou followed Ryuta's lead and did the same.

Takuya sighed. "You two are so melodramatic." Then the three boys started to laugh altogether. You would think that they had all been the best of friends for a really long time. And after they finished laughing, Takuya turned his attention to Ryuta. "If you don't have any plans, why don't you sit down and eat with us?"

"Really, you guys don't mind?" Ryuta asked.

"Not at all," Kyou replied. "Come on, sit down. Take a load off."

Without further need of coaxing, Ryuta sat down at Takuya and Kyou's table and the three boys enjoyed the remainder of their lunch together.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, Noon**

And soon the first bell rang, signaling that lunch break was over. "Whoa, time went by in a flash. Looks like we better hurry up and bus our trays so we can get back to class," said Kyou.

"Oh wait, before you go, Takuya. Can I get your contact info? Just in case we're not able to meet up later for whatever reason?" Ryuta asked.

"Oh sure, do you have your phone on you now?" Takuya asked, receiving a nod in reply from Ryuta. The two boys pulled out their phones and then the smartphones' wireless syncing function activated and both boys exchanged each other's contact information. "Okay, all set. I'll meet you up on the rooftop after afternoon classes then?"

"You've got it, see you then, neighbor," Ryuta replied, before running off to bus his tray and make his way back to class.

"Well that was nice. Yanasai's a pretty cool guy," said Kyou. "Did you say you two just met for the first time a few days ago?"

"Yeah, that's right. The first time I met him was Saturday night," Takuya replied.

"You wouldn't know it from first glance; you guys were chatting it up like you were childhood friends or something. I honestly kind of felt like I was a third wheel most of the time," Kyou replied.

"Oh, well I'm sorry for making you feel that way," Takuya apologized.

"No worries, that just goes to show that you two are going to be really good friends here. But, just don't forget about your buddy Kyou, okay?" Kyou replied.

Takuya chuckled. "I get it, 'buddy'."

"Yeah, yeah. Now come on and pick up your tray. Trust me, you don't want to be tardied for Gasai's class," Kyou replied. Then the two boys went to go bus their trays and head back to class.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, Noon**

Around that same time, Yurika and Hirabayashi were having another lunch date in the courtyard. This time, Hirabayashi had picked up some convenience store bento boxes for his and his girlfriend's lunch. Yurika happily ate the contents of the bento box but had not said a single word the entire time. Hirabayashi was starting to become worried about his girlfriend, and decided that he should break the ice and start the conversation. "Sorry that lunch was a little passé today. But you know I suck at cooking so this was all I could really do."

"…" Yurika continued to silently eat her lunch. And then a few moments later, she sat the box down and showed Hirabayashi that she had completely finished it.

"Well I see you ate it at least. Thanks for that," Hirabayashi replied.

"…" Yurika still didn't respond.

Hirabayashi sighed. "Yuri, why won't you talk to me?"

"…" Yurika continued to be silent.

"Seriously, you haven't said a single word since we saw Endou-chan last night," Hirabayashi replied.

"I…I don't know if I can do it…" Yurika simply mumbled.

Hirabayashi seemed concerned. "You don't know if you can do what, Yuri?"

"Live with myself anymore," Yurika clarified.

Hirabayashi's eyes grew extremely wide. "Yuri, you shouldn't say things like that. People might get the wrong idea."

"I told you what I did, that was already hard enough to deal with. And now I have the guilt of knowing that I broke my best friend's heart. I just…I just don't know if I can take much more, Reisuke." Yurika started to tear up. "I don't think I can live like this. Knowing what I've done."

Hirabayashi grabbed ahold of his girlfriend's hands and forced her to look him in the eyes. "You have to confess your sins, Yuri. That's the only way any of this is ever going to get better."

Yurika shook her head. "I'm too scared."

"Remember, no matter what happens, I'll be right there beside you. And as for Endou-chan…she'll come to understand…she just needs time and space. That's all we can give her. But you've got to be strong Yuri, you can't let this guilt bury you. Please, I don't want to lose you. Not you, never you. Please, do the right thing. For me," Hirabayashi replied.

Then the first bell rang, signaling the end for lunch break. Yurika quickly pulled her hands away from Hirabayashi and collected her things. "That's the bell, I better get going and so should you, Hirabayashi-sensei."

"Yuri!" Hirabayashi exclaimed.

"Lunch was good, let's do it again sometime," Yuri said without facing him. Then she quickly ran off.

"Yuri," Hirabayashi muttered to himself.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, After School**

The rest of the school day was pretty much uneventful for Takuya. And to his luck, Mr. Gasai neglected to call on him to answer any questions that day, so he was able to follow along with the class at his own pace. Soon the final bell rang, signaling the end of afternoon classes. After Mr. Gasai dismissed his class, Takuya hurried to pack up his things and meet up with Ryuta as he promised. Suddenly Takuya's phone vibrated and he checked it and saw that he had received a new message, from Ryuta. 'Speak of the devil,' Takuya thought to himself. He opened the text message and read the contents: _Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3. Is this thing even on? Yo, Takuya! Do you read me?! Over._

Takuya rolled his eyes and texted back a reply: _I read you loud and clear. Over._

Ryuta texted back: _Cool! Just wanted to make sure it worked. We don't have walkie-talkies like real secret clubs so I have to make do with testing out our texts. Do you read me? Over._

Takuya texted back: _Again I read you. Do we have to keep saying over now when we finish? Over._

Ryuta texted back: _Why not? It's fun, isn't it? Over._

Takuya texted back: _I'll meet you on the roof like we planned._

Ryuta texted back: _I'm sorry good buddy, I didn't quite catch that last part. Over._

Takuya texted back: _I'm not saying it anymore._

Ryuta texted back: _Not saying what anymore? Over._

Takuya texted back: _Oh for God sakes! I'm on my way now!_

Ryuta texted back: _On your way now where? Over._

Takuya texted back in an irritated manner: _The rooftop! Over dammit!_

Ryuta texted back: _Roger that, Takuya good buddy, read you loud and clear. I'll be waiting for you up at the rendezvous point. Over and out._

Takuya sighed and texted back: _Cool, see you there. Over._

Ryuta texted back: _Over and…?_

Takuya texted back: _Don't press your luck! Over!_ Then he hastily stuffed his phone back in his pocket to avoid further annoyance.

Kyou chuckled. "Well from the looks of things, that escalated quickly. Your girlfriend bugging you?"

"No, it's that idiot you met earlier. Ryuta," Takuya replied. "We're meeting to discuss something and he's making a big deal about it."

Kyou chuckled again. "Well it seems like the two of you have got fun plans. I wish I could join you, but I've got work."

"Ahem, Kurokami-san!" Mr. Gasai suddenly exclaimed from across the room, getting the two boys' attention. "You didn't forget that you still owe me a few more days' worth of detention, now did you?"

Kyou immediately did a 180. "Crap, I totally did." He slouched and frowned. "Well looks my plans just changed from bad to worse."

"Stay strong, he can't hold you forever, right?" Takuya replied.

"Gasai is a teacher with no social life whatsoever, you'd be surprised how little his time means to him," Kyou replied.

Takuya sweatdropped. "I'll pray for you." Then he picked up the rest of his stuff and headed for the door, not wanting to get drawn into Kyou's punishment any further.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, After School**

A few minutes later, Takuya arrived at the meeting place that he and Ryuta had set aside for their discussion. Immediately, upon greeting Takuya, Ryuta demanded that he be completely let into the loop and demanded that the former tell him everything he knew from start to finish. Of course, Takuya purposely cut out the parts about the Velvet Room and meeting the Blue Butterfly from his explanation, as he felt that Ryuta would not be able to understand what he didn't either. But unlike the explanation he had given to Ayuka, two days prior, he did decide to tell Ryuta about him witnessing the omen involving Student Council President Michiko Endou, and that this spelled an untimely demise for her. He also explained everything that the White Rabbit taught him about Personas, since Ryuta had gained one as well. All in all, Takuya's explanation and Ryuta's questions took about half an hour to cover.

"And that's everything I know so far. To wrap it up simply, we've been chosen by some higher power to restore the balance of life and death," Takuya explained.

"So we're really Grim Reapers? Gods of Death? That's us?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya nodded. "As far as I can tell. Apparently we're supposed to replace this omnipotent being, the one true Grim Reaper, who's vanished along with others blessed with its power over life and death. Though I don't know how far our powers reach yet, from what I can tell we don't have access to them outside of Limbo at least."

"And according to this other Reaper you met, we all have different powers inside of our eyes?" Ryuta asked.

"That's what she told me at least. She had the Eyes of the Rabbit, which gave her extraordinary sensory and instinct skills," Takuya replied.

"Well then, what can your eyes do?" Ryuta asked.

"I…I don't know. I guess I haven't figured it out yet. I think it takes time to truly master your powers, must be why we were also given Personas to help us fight the Shadows," Takuya replied.

"So how many of us are there in total?" Ryuta asked.

"Reapers? Well let's see," Takuya began counting on his fingers. "You, me, and Shinichi make three in total. Then there were two others who helped me and Ayuka out the other day, so that's five. There was also this one really crazy guy who claimed to be a Reaper and tried to kill me, so that's six. But I think there are at least four more according to what the sixth guy said. So I'd have to say at least ten, but who knows, there could be more," Takuya replied.

Ryuta chuckled. "This is almost too much. I would say you were crazy if I hadn't experienced it all for myself yesterday. We're actual gods. We have unbelievable supernatural powers. We can fight monsters with beings that are made up of our very essence." Ryuta got up from his seated position on the bench and then got down on the ground and laid back till his head touched the support cushion made by his hands. He stared up at the clouds and watched them go by as Takuya watched him in curiosity. "For the past two years, no wait, actually I think even before the incident. I felt like there was much more for me out there, a whole 'nother world to experience. I've never really fit in, anywhere for that matter. But I don't know, ever since I saw Kuebiko and became Scarecrow it's like…it's like" Ryuta sighed in defeat. "I don't even know how to describe it."

Takuya got down onto the ground with Ryuta and then mimicked his actions and continued the conversation. "It's like you've discovered this new side to you, that you never even knew was there. Something like that, right?"

Ryuta nodded. "Yeah, exactly. I've been afraid of what others would think of me if I tried to rejoin this world, and also afraid of what I might do to others if I gave into that rage inside of me again. But Kuebiko, the moment I heard his voice, everything changed. He told me that I could use this power, this rage inside of me and the fear that I instill from it, to protect others. And that got me thinking, I think I was made for this job. I've never felt so worthy of anything before. I want to use this power that I have…I want to protect others in the same way that I protected Natsu on that horrible night."

"Well, it's your decision to make. If you want, you can just forget all about this and return to a normal life. If you want, you can even go back to Nagoya and go be with your family again. I'm sure your little sister misses you. There's nothing hold you back now after all," Takuya replied.

Ryuta smirked. "I guess I could do that, but it's pretty hard to go back to normal after experiencing all of that first hand. And from what you told me, the world needs our help. People who died aren't able to pass on. They must be so lost and afraid. I can relate to that. I…I want to help them. I want to help you and Shinichi fight to save the world. That's my purpose now, I'm sure of it. So if you'll have me, I'd love to do just that."

Takuya smirked as well. "Well then, I guess all I can say is…welcome aboard, Scarecrow."

"Thanks for having me, Sin Eater," Ryuta replied.

Then all of a sudden, an image of a tarot card flashed in Takuya's head. The card turned over and revealed itself to be No. VII, the Chariot. Then a mysterious voice rang out in Takuya's head.

 _I am thou, thou art I…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond._

 _It shall guide thee in thy journey to restore balance_

 _to the unseen world and thine own heart._

 _With the birth of the Chariot Persona, thou hast gained_ _the_

 _confidence to rush forward proudly into any battle or_

 _skirmish that thee may find and obtain victory._

 _New power awaits thee at the end of the road._

 _Don't be afraid to journey down it._

 **Ryuta Soul Link established.**

 **Arcana: Chariot – Rank 1.**

Takuya blinked a few times before his vision settled and he came back to his senses. 'It happened again. It's just like Igor and the others said,' Takuya thought to himself. 'A new bond, a new arcana. Shinichi is Death, Ryuta is the Chariot, and I'm the Fool.' Takuya thought about the other seven arcana that Igor mentioned would aid him on his journey. 'What were the other ones? Temperance, Strength, the Empress, the Priestess, the Hanged Man, the Tower, and the Devil. If Ryuta was the Chariot, does that mean that there are others out there with the potential who have those arcana?'

"Hey, Takuya?" Ryuta suddenly said.

"Huh? Yeah, what is it?" Takuya replied.

"If you've got nowhere to be, do you wanna just hang out here for a while and watch the clouds with me? I used to do it a lot with Natsu whenever we were outside, it helped give me perspective. It might give us some about how we're going to reach our goal," Ryuta explained.

Takuya smiled and nodded. "Sure, I don't have any plans. And this is oddly relaxing, despite being on the concrete ground I mean."

Ryuta snickered. "Yeah, clouds sure are a mystery. Science can tell you everything you want to know about them but I doubt it could tell you why no matter where you are or what you're going through, just lying back and watching them pass overhead can be so peaceful." Ryuta was a silent for a moment before saying, "I know I've said this a lot already, but again, thank you. Thank you so much, you've given me a second chance at life."

"And I know I've said this a lot already, but seriously, don't mention it. I made a vow to myself, that I would never let someone I know go through the same pain I and my friend felt, ever again. We're broken sure, but together, we're broken together," Takuya replied.

Ryuta chuckled. "Broken, eh? If I have a friend like you by my side, maybe being broken is not such a bad thing."

* * *

A/N: Yet another one of the chosen children as joined our hero in his quest, but what of the others? Will our hero be able to prevent the coming tragedy with his new found ally? Stay tuned to find out.

(Unfortunately, that's all I have right now. Again, sorry that this is so late. There were mitigating circumstances, but excuses can only go so far. The next chapter will contain multiple days, as we start to speed up in our timeline. And it won't be long before the first ordeal starts and Ayuka joins the group. I'm going to try and at least start that part before Summer ends. Till next time, please read and review.)


	24. Chapter XXI

A/N: It won't be long now. In a matter of days, the first ordeal will rear its head. Little does our hero know, there is nothing he can do to prevent the coming tragedy. Let us see how this all plays out, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XXI: The language of flowers**

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, After School**

The orchestra club had practice every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday out of the week. Each member was expected to attend at least one of these weekly practice sessions, from the end of afternoon classes to the beginning of the early evening. Ayuka Yamasato was one of the few club members who dedicatedly attended each practice. However, due to her inability to play any instrument besides the piano or the harpsichord she didn't really have anything to do in the practice sessions while the main members practiced for upcoming events and venues. Each practice she would mainly sit back and just watch the others preform in silence, never saying a single word to anyone. But even when she was asked by a club member to play something on the clubroom's grand piano she would always politely decline under the excuse of stage fright. Some of her dedicated senpai, like Michiko Endou, tried to push her into preforming by giving her a solo spot in a performance, but Ayuka vehemently refused on each and every occasion. This went on mainly for the first year of her membership in the club, until the other club members realized that no matter what they did they would never get Ayuka to play. Some even suggested that she quit the club if she wasn't ever going to participate, but Ayuka pleaded that they keep her in the club anyway as she didn't want to disappoint her parents who were adamant about her being in the club.

Everyone knew that Ayuka had a hidden reason behind never wanting to play, and eventually they realized that she wouldn't come out of her shell until she was ready. So as she went into her second year, the orchestra club allowed Ayuka to quietly participate from the background, even if this earned her animosity from some of the other club members who thought she didn't take anything seriously. Not a day went by that she didn't overhear some of the meaner members of her club whisper nasty things about her behind her back. But of course, Ayuka didn't care, not about the club, or what other people said about her. Her heart was already far too broken to carry the weight of such trivial things. You could hear it in the way she talked, or see it in her eyes, or even feel it if you got too close to her. Ayuka was already dead inside, and not even the club's beautiful music could bring her back to life.

Unfortunately, most people mistook her sadness as something else entirely. Yurika Owari, the vice-president of the orchestra club, was one of these people in particular. From day one, she utterly despised Ayuka. Yurika had joined the orchestra club in her middle school years out of pure passion and joy for playing her violin and getting lost in the melody of her music. Ayuka, who seemed disinterested in almost everything her and the rest of the club did, infuriated her to no end. Yurika thought that Ayuka couldn't care less about music; of course, little did she know, this couldn't have been further from the truth. Music was Ayuka's life. The keyword being "was". Since her brother's untimely passing, the joy of music, as well as the joy of life, seemed utterly microscopic compared to the overwhelming grief and pain Ayuka felt inside.

But this dislike was not one-sided. After all, Ayuka held a strong sense of hatred towards Yurika as well. Because while Yurika was a very gifted musician, and loved music with a fiery and intense passion, she was also a horrible person. Not a day would pass by when Yurika wouldn't ridicule someone in or outside the club over the most frivolous things. She was the very definition of a bully, and all the underclassmen knew it. With her, if you weren't perfect in her eyes, then you were guaranteed to be tormented by her at one point or another. Though she wasn't a delinquent, or a punk, or anything of that troublesome sort, she was in fact a verbal and psychological sadist. In fact, a few club members even quit playing altogether because Yurika had ruined music for them. And yet, she prattled on and played her violin without a care in the world for who she hurt and bullied. She thought just because she was naturally gifted she had the God given right to look down on others. At least that's what Ayuka thought Yurika was like. Though little did she know, Yurika was also wearing a mask to hide her inner pain.

In another time or place, these two girls might've actually been very good friends. They had a lot in common, whether they cared to admit it or not. However, that would not be how this first ordeal would play out. Because of the horrible actions that led to the death of an innocent girl, even more blood would be shed by the week's end. And these two girls would both have a hand to play in the coming tragedy. Only they didn't know it yet.

Yurika left class as soon as the bell rang in order to avoid being confronted by her boyfriend, Reisuke Hirabayashi. She did not feel like dragging him into the problems she was currently facing. So she decided it would be best to head onto the clubroom and get everything ready for that day's practice session. However, she did have another reason for coming to club early, and the reason presented itself as soon as she opened the clubroom door. Her eyes immediately fell upon the auburn-headed girl who was sitting at the club's grand piano.

Ayuka looked over to Yurika. "I trust Akagawa-senpai told you then. I was wondering whether or not you would even bother showing up," she said.

"Don't get me wrong, normally I wouldn't give a little mopey freak like you the time of day," Yurika spat back. "But I figured with what's happened that we should probably clear the air. I can guess what this is about. You mentioned it the other day after all."

Ayuka glared at Yurika and then got up from her seated position. "So you admit it then? The girl you stole that composition from, that was Iwasaki-san, wasn't it?"

Yurika looked down at the ground. "Yeah, it was. I stole the song she wrote."

"…" Ayuka's eyes widened in shock. She knew the answer, but to hear it out loud was an entirely different thing.

Yurika scoffed. "But why do you even care, freak? This whole situation has nothing to do with you."

Ayuka's glare deepened. "How can you say that? It has everything to do with me! It has everything to do with this club!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"…" Yurika was silent.

"How could you do such a thing?! It wasn't your piece to play! Iwasaki-san probably spent weeks working on it and then you just took it from her!" Ayuka shouted.

"It was one song, what's the big deal?" Yurika replied, trying to play off her actions as harmless. Even though she knew truthfully the damage they caused.

"What's the big deal?! Iwasaki-san is dead! She's dead! That's the big deal! Does that not register with you at all?!" Ayuka shouted.

"Of course it does!" Yurika shouted back. "I know she's dead! I know she's not coming back! And I know what I did was wrong! But…! But…!" Yurika looked down at the floor again. "I didn't have a choice. I was so excited when I found out that the performing arts school of my dreams was accepting early admissions. I thought for sure I would get in on my own merit, but as it turned out I needed to come up with my own composition to even be considered. I tried and I tried, but no matter how hard I worked I couldn't come up with anything even halfway decent to meet their standards. And then when I had given up all hope, I heard Iwasaki practicing the song she wrote in secret. It…It was so beautiful. It might've been the single most beautiful melody I had ever heard."

"…" Ayuka was silent as Yurika explained.

"She told me that she was going to ask Michiko if she could perform it at the upcoming venue, and made me promise not to tell anyone about it until she was finished writing it. And then after another night of fruitless writing endeavors, I had a terrible thought. And before I even knew it, I was…digging up dirt on Iwasaki," Yurika explained.

"Dirt? What do you mean by dirt?" Ayuka asked.

"Iwasaki had problems, she wasn't really the perfect Little Miss Ray of Sunshine that she pretended to be in club practice. I found out a few of her dirty little secrets and I…I persuaded her to give me her song so I could pass it off as my own," Yurika explained.

"Persuaded?! You mean blackmailed!" Ayuka shouted.

"You want the ugly truth?! Fine! Yes, I blackmailed her! She was a hysterical crying mess after I was through with her! I'm not proud of it! But I needed that song!" Yurika shouted. "I didn't know she was going to kill herself over it! Never, in a million years, would it have crossed my mind! If I'd have known the consequences beforehand I never would've gone through with it! Okay?!" Yurika started to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Okay?!"

Yurika began to sob uncontrollably, while Ayuka just stared at her in contempt. For a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was Yurika's incessant sobbing. And soon she calmed down and regained her composure. Then Ayuka immediately jumped on her. "Confess what you did. Confess to Endou-senpai, the entire club, the Headmaster, the performing arts school you were planning on attending, and Iwasaki-san's family. They all need to hear what you did. They need to hear the truth."

"The truth?!" Yurika shouted. "How does the truth help anybody in this situation?! Even if I tell everyone that I stole Iwasaki's song, it's not going to bring her back! What's done is done!"

"But it is not done! Right now, Iwasaki-san's family is probably miserable! Wondering why their daughter up and decided to kill herself!" Ayuka exclaimed.

"You're making a bigger deal of this than it is!" Yurika shouted back. "How do you know that what I did was the only reason that Iwasaki killed herself?! I told you, she had skeletons in her closet! For all we know, what I did was miniscule compared to the other things she was going through!"

"How do you know that?! You didn't know Iwasaki-san at all!" Ayuka shouted.

"Neither did you!" Yurika shouted back.

"…" Ayuka was stunned into silence.

"Don't act so fucking high and mighty! You didn't give a shit about her before yesterday! You don't give a shit about anyone in this club! And I'm willing to bet you don't give a shit about anyone else in the world either!" Yurika shouted.

"…" Ayuka didn't know how to respond.

"You don't care, so don't pretend like you do," Yurika replied. "I see the way you act, you never let anyone get close to you, you don't have any of sort of relationships at this school, do you?"

"…" Ayuka still couldn't respond.

"You don't care about anyone, or anything. I don't know what your deal is, but that much is clear. There's too much angst and sorrow behind those eyes to give a single iota of a fuck about anyone else," Yurika replied.

"Be that as it may. I'm not going to let you claim her work for you own," Ayuka finally spoke up. "I'm not leaving here until you swear to me that you're going to tell the truth and give that composition to Iwasaki-san's family. Do all of that, and you'll never hear a peep from me again," Ayuka replied.

Yurika scoffed. "I really don't get you. Truth be told, I was thinking about coming clean already. My boyfriend was trying to convince me that it was the best thing to do. And the guilt really was eating me up inside. But you know what? Forget it!"

"…" Ayuka fell silent again.

"The truth is irrelevant in this situation. Iwasaki is dead, there is no changing that. And for all we know, the song may have not even had anything to do with it. The truth will only destroy everything good that came out of this. How do you think her family would feel? Knowing that she might've ended her life all because someone stole one measly song from her? Nothing I do now, is going to bring her back. So I'm just going to let sleeping dogs lie. And if you know what's good for you, you'll do the same. Got that, freak?" Yurika replied.

Ayuka's glare deepened. She could feel fire beneath her skin. She never knew it was possible to hate someone this much. "You are a disgrace. Not only to all the talented and hard-working musicians in the world, but to the human race itself. You are a pure, unadulterated monster." And then a few moments later a loud _smack_ filled the air along with a shrill shriek, and then Ayuka fell to the floor. A glowing red handprint was left on Ayuka's left cheek. Ayuka brought her hand up to her face and pressed down on the mark, feeling a horrible sting in the process.

Yurika stood up above her, hand still raised, and panting profusely. After a few moments she calmed down and firmly spoke to Ayuka. "Get the hell out of my sight. As of this moment you're kicked out of the club."

"Y-You, can't do that," Ayuka replied.

"The hell I can't, I'm the vice-president and your senpai. Did you seriously forget that? I don't ever want to see your ugly little freakish face again. Get out now, before I do something else that I'll regret," Yurika said through gritted teeth.

Ayuka glared at Yurika. "This isn't over; I'm going to make you admit what you've done." Then without another word, Ayuka got up off the floor and collected her things before running out of the clubroom. And a few moments later the other club members began to file into the clubroom for practice.

One of the girls walked up to Yurika. "Hey Senpai? I just saw Yamasato-san running down the hall. She looked really upset. Did something happen to her?"

Yurika put on her best fake smile and answered the girl's question. "Yes, unfortunately she told me that she has to quit the club for personal reasons. She's taking it very hard."

"Well big whup, it's not like she did much here anyway," a boy with dyed black hair suddenly replied. "All she ever really did was sit in the corner and watch the rest of us play. If you ask me, good riddance."

"How can you be so heartless, Guzman-kun?" the girl asked.

"Heartless?" the dyed hair boy repeated the word and then scoffed. "Please, I'm just speaking from the view point of a hard working musician. Yamasato was lazy, she didn't contribute anything to this club." Then he sighed. "But I have to admit she did seem a little upset when we saw her out in the hall. Tell you what? If you're still worried about her, I'll help you find her tomorrow and we can talk to her about it with her together."

The girl seemed relieved. "R-Really? You'd help me do that, Guzman-kun?"

The boy smiled at the girl. "Sure, no problem. And to tell you the truth I'm actually a little concerned about Yamasato myself." The boy inwardly snickered. 'Yeah right.'

The girl blushed. "Thank you, Guzman-kun. And I'm sorry about what I said before. You can actually be pretty kind when you want to be."

"No apology necessary, I know I can come off as cold sometimes," the boy replied. Then he turned his attention to Yurika. "Anyway, Senpai. Is Endou-senpai not coming in today? A third-year friend of mine says that she was absent in all of her classes today. I'm a little worried about her too."

"Umm, to tell you the truth I don't really know. I haven't heard anything from her since yesterday," Yurika replied. "I guess for right now; I'll just lead the club. You just go ahead and get set up like usual, okay James-kun?"

The boy named James shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough." Then he made his way across the room and sat down in his usual seat. Nobody knew this, but James knew fairly well why Michiko did not attend any of her classes that day, and why she would most likely not be attending club practice either. After all, he had spied on her a little yesterday and managed to find out about her inner turmoil. 'Heh. I guess the Prez isn't the only one who's in danger of being eaten, the Vice-Prez is on the edge too. And as for Yamasato, I could sense it even if it was just in that brief moment in the hall. The stench of death is already on her. Her Shadow's been growing day by day for a long time now. It's a really nasty one, no doubt about it. If these were normal circumstances, I'd say she was a goner. But if what those two numbskulls told me is true, then Yamasato was definitely the girl who got dragged into Limbo with that noob Reaper. Who knows, with the knowledge of what's to come she might be able to survive and maybe even awaken to some powers of her own,' James thought to himself. Then he snickered. 'The only question is, can someone as worthless as her even be worthy of becoming a god? Well if she is, that will certainly make her a lot more interesting to me.' James smirked. 'This year's going to be really fun, I can already tell.'

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, After School**

It had been about an hour and a half since school let out for the day, and since their meetup to discuss things had ended, Takuya and Ryuta had simply been chatting and unwinding while cloud watching on the high school building's rooftop.

"So the rumors about you are true, more or less?" Ryuta asked.

"Yeah, I haven't checked it myself yet, but I assume Yousha Unmasked is saying all the same crap that's been in the news since last December. My friend was responsible for a school shooting and I'm under suspicion of being his co-conspirator," Takuya replied, getting everything off his chest.

"Let me guess, they have no proof whatsoever that you were involved but they're still harassing the hell out of you, right?" Ryuta replied.

"For the most part, yeah," Takuya replied. "My guess is that it started out with the families of the victims being outraged that they would never receive justice for the incident, because Chris, my friend, killed himself after his targets. They wanted someone to blame, someone to pay in Chris's place, and I was the perfect scapegoat. I was close to him, he was basically my only friend back at my old school, and to top it all off they found out that Chris texted me on the day of the incident. So they had all the reason they needed to believe that I was involved. And their outcries led to more outcries until eventually the police needed to carry out the will of the people and look into me."

"Did you ever get arrested?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya shook his head. "Not officially, no. But some detectives came around to my school and house a lot after that. Always "asking" me if I could come down to their precinct and answer some questions. They were always the same ones too. _Where were you on the day of the incident? Can anyone else verify that? Did Chris give you any indication that he was going to do it?_ Over and over again. I guess they were hoping I would "crack" and give them some new information. That happened about six times and then my parents finally put a stop to it by threating to sue the police for harassment. But that's when it got even worse, and well you know the rest."

"So you've sworn off social media and come back here to Japan? Smart, moving halfway around the world, not a soul really knows you here. I just thought moving to Tokyo from Nagoya would get me away from my troubles." Ryuta sadly chuckled. "Guess we were both wrong, our troubles followed us here too."

"Yeah, but maybe it's better that way. Now instead of running, we can actually face our pasts head-on. And look on the bright side, even if no one ever wants to sit with us at lunch we always have each other, and Shinichi of course," Takuya replied.

"Don't forget our Personas, they've got our backs too," Ryuta replied.

"I'm actually surprised that the rumors spread here so fast though, back in the U.S. they were fast too, but not nearly as fast here. Is it just a modern Japanese thing to love gossip?" Takuya asked.

Ryuta shrugged his shoulders. "Well if you ask a teacher, your parents, or anyone over the age of thirty for that matter, they'll say it's disrespectful to gossip about others behind their back. Our culture is all about respect you know?" Ryuta replied with an added sigh. "But I see them gossiping just as much as us kids. And right now we're at ground zero of gossip, a Japanese high school. What's worse is that it's a private academy. My guess is, they are not going to stop talking about us behind our backs until we graduate."

Takuya sighed. "Yeah, with my luck that sounds about right."

"But other than that, how does it feel to be back in your home country after all these years?" Ryuta asked out of curiosity.

"Weird. I haven't heard a thing from my grandfather or my cousin all this time. When I first announced I wanted to come back here they were shocked to say the least. But they're the only family I have left, not counting my mom and dad. If I was going to come back here and stay anywhere, it had to be with them. Then there's the language barrier. I just started speaking Japanese again a few months ago, so it's hard to get back into the swing of things. And I thought English was bad when I first learned that. Seriously three different, interchangeable alphabets. What were our ancestors thinking?" Takuya asked in exhaustion.

"Don't know, never really thought about it before. So you're telling me you didn't speak Japanese at all for all those years? Not even at home?" Ryuta replied.

Takuya shook his head. "Especially not at home. My parents didn't want to have anything to do with Japan after we moved. Believe me, if it wasn't for our skin tone you couldn't tell we were Asian, much less Japanese. To this day I still don't know why they insisted on living like that, cut off from home and family."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty good at English for the most part, so if you need to switch I can still talk to you. And your Japanese isn't too bad, not high class, but I can understand you at least. I don't think you'll be invited to any fancy dinner parties anytime soon though," Ryuta joked.

"Please don't joke about that, honorific verb conjugation still makes my head hurt," Takuya replied while rubbing his head. Ryuta just laughed at his friend's troubles.

Then Takuya and Ryuta nearly jumped off the ground in surprise when a familiar face suddenly leaned over them. "What are you guys doing?" Shinichi asked.

"Geez! What did I say about doing that, yesterday?!" Takuya shouted at the ghost boy. "Do I need to put a freaking bell on you or something?!"

"Seriously! You nearly scared us half to death!" Ryuta replied.

"Well aren't we all already technically dead?" Shinichi replied.

Takuya sighed in exasperation. "What took you so long anyway? We all agreed to meet up on the rooftop after afternoon classes were over. Couldn't you hear the bell?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Nope, sorry. I wasn't in the high school building at that time."

"What do you mean you weren't there? Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Endou-senpai all day?" Takuya replied.

"She wasn't there. I don't think she's attended any of her classes at all today," Shinichi replied.

"What?!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise and sat up on the ground.

"I looked all over, but I couldn't find her anywhere," Shinichi explained. "I checked out every single building on campus but there was no sign of her whatsoever."

"What? How can that be?" Takuya replied.

Ryuta sat up on the ground as well. "Well you said you saw her die in this omen thing, right? Maybe what you saw is starting to happen?"

Shinichi looked confused. "You ran late, so I explained everything to him myself," Takuya replied.

"Oh," Shinichi replied in understanding. Then he shook his head. "But no, I don't think that's it. The omen's been silent for a while now. Usually before a person dies, the omen will appear over and over again. At least that's been my experience with it. It's particularly bad the day before the death. But so far I've only seen her omen once, same with Takuya."

"Well that's some small comfort at least. We still have some time left," Takuya replied.

"Okay then, what if it's like what happened to me? What if she wandered into Limbo somehow and is being trapped there by her Shadow?" Ryuta replied.

Shinichi shook his head. "I thought of that too, so I explored Limbo a bit as well. No trace of her their either."

"Well maybe she's just too far away for you to sense where she is. That happened to you when you were tracking Ryuta, right?" Takuya replied.

"No, even then I still felt some small trace of him. This was different, there was no trace of the Prez at all," Shinichi replied. "Eventually I just gave up when I realized it was past the meeting time and wandered over here."

"Okay if she's not in Limbo and she's not at school then that means she must be in the city somewhere, right?" Ryuta replied.

"That's the only logical explanation of what could have happened to her," Takuya replied. "But why would the Student Council President just decide to ditch school out of the blue? And where would she go for that matter?"

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders. "Not a clue, in the end we just don't know enough about her. I don't think there's any more that can be done about her today. Like I said, she shouldn't be in any immediate danger yet so maybe we should just start fresh again tomorrow."

Takuya sighed in defeat. "Oh well, I guess we don't have a choice. Maybe it would help our efforts if we all started observing her together. Two heads are better than one, so three should be even better."

Shinichi nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. And I would appreciate the help."

Ryuta sighed. "Sorry guys, I'd love to help out. But I can't, at least not tomorrow."

"Oh that's right, you've got work at the daycare tomorrow, don't you?" Takuya replied.

Ryuta seemed confused. "Umm, how did you know that? I don't think I ever told you what my work schedule was."

"…" Takuya immediately went silent.

"…" Shinichi went silent.

"Guys?" Ryuta replied.

"…" the other boys remained silent.

"Come to think of it, how did you guys know where I worked in the first place?" Ryuta suddenly asked.

"…" the other boys were starting to visibly sweat.

"Ikari seemed really worried about me yesterday too, and come to think of it, Kirishima seemed worried about me in class today too," Ryuta replied.

"…" still no response.

Ryuta's eyes narrowed. "What did you guys do while I was in Limbo?"

"Nothing," Takuya replied.

"Yeah, nothing. We definitely didn't break into you room and snoop through your computer and personal belongings to find out more about you. And we definitely didn't tell everyone affiliated with you that you were missing or anything. How could you even think that?" Shinichi replied while nervously chuckling.

"You broke into my room?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Dammit Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Sorry, I don't take pressure very well," Shinichi replied while he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. It took about another half hour of explaining before Ryuta was finally satisfied and forgave both Takuya and Shinichi. Then the three boys chatted a little while longer until the early evening finally arrived, and then they decided to go to the dining hall together to get something to eat, much like they had done the previous night.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, After School**

Hirabayashi checked his phone for any incoming messages. He hadn't received any reply from his girlfriend, Yurika Owari, since their short lunch together ended. Hirabayashi could see that his younger girlfriend was troubled, not only by what she had confided in him the night before, but clearly the events that had transpired afterward as well. According to Yurika, she hadn't heard a single word from Michiko Endou since last night in the orchestra clubroom, when she walked in on Yurika and Hirabayashi sharing a tender moment together. Out of concern for Michiko's well-being, after afternoon classes were over, he checked in with her Homeroom teacher and found out that she hadn't attended any of her classes that day. He then went to check in on Yurika, only to find that she had already left to attend her club meeting.

Understanding that his girlfriend seemed to want to be by herself at the moment, he texted her and told her that he was planning to leave the campus early that day and that if she felt up to it, they could meet up again later. It had been almost an hour since he texted Yurika and he was still surprised that he hadn't heard anything back from her. As he walked to his apartment building from the subway terminal, he sighed in exasperation. 'I guess Yuri doesn't really want to talk about things right now. All of this stress must be really getting to her; and now she and Michiko aren't on speaking terms on top of that.' He frowned as he looked down at his phone. 'Dammit, I wish she would confide in me when she's like this. She told me what happened to that other girl last night with tears in her eyes. Why can't she be more open about Michiko?' he asked himself.

After a few more minutes of being alone with his troubled thoughts, Hirabayashi finally arrived at his apartment building and began climbing up the stairs to his room on the third floor. And when he reached the third floor hallway, he was surprised to see a familiar face, who was sitting outside the door to his apartment. It was Michiko Endou, and she appeared to have a very troubled expression on her face. "Endou-chan?" Hirabayashi called out to her.

Michiko looked up and saw that Hirabayashi had arrived at his apartment. "Senpai! Thank God, you're here. I was starting to think I had gotten the wrong address."

"What are you doing here?" Hirabayashi asked. "I heard from your teachers. Did you skip classes today?"

Michiko frowned and then nodded. "Yes, I did. There were extenuating circumstances."

Hirabayashi frowned. "Endou-chan, if this is about last night…" Michiko cut him off before he could finish.

"It's not just that. It's…it's…it's everything," Michiko mumbled in a troubled tone.

"Have you been here all day?" Hirabayashi asked out of concern.

Michiko shook her head. "Not all day, I had to find out a few things first. But classes had already long since started after I was finished so I just decided to wait for you here. I found your address off of the school registry, and I needed to speak to you in private."

"Speak to me? About what?" Hirabayashi asked.

"Yurika," Michiko simply replied. "I…I know what she did."

"…" Hirabayashi's eyes widened and he went completely silent.

* * *

 **Tuesday, 4/14 20XX, Night**

After dinner, Takuya, Ryuta, and Shinichi made their way back to the boys' dorm just like they had done the previous night and then went to their separate rooms. Over dinner they decided on their plans for the coming days. Shinichi would continue following around Michiko Endou during school hours, and then after school let out, Takuya and Ryuta would join him in his surveillance of Michiko. With the exception of Wednesday and Friday for Ryuta as he had to work at Yoshiaki's daycare. The boys wanted to make absolutely sure that when the time came, they would be there to change Michiko's fate. As far as they were concerned failure was not an option.

Takuya lied down on his bed while he thought everything over. Shinichi was busying himself by playing some of Takuya's video games again. Eventually, the silence between them got to be too uncomfortable for Takuya and he called out to his ghost roommate. "Hey Shinichi?"

"Yeah?" Shinichi replied.

"What you said before about the omens? About how you tried to save the people shown in them from their fated deaths and never succeeded? Do you really think it's impossible to change their fate?" Takuya replied.

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest, I'm not really sure anymore. Before you came along, I had given up on trying to help those people, and I had given up on trying to find out who I really am. But you convinced me that the latter is still possible so why shouldn't the former be possible as well?" He paused the game and looked at Takuya. "Why are you asking anyway? Are you second-guessing yourself?"

"Not really, if anything I'm second-guessing whether or not we _should_ do it. You said it yourself, the omens show people who are destined to die. If you interfere, they might just die some other way. Our mission is to restore the balance of the world. By messing with fate, aren't we messing with the natural order of things? Wouldn't that just be hurting the balance even more?" Takuya asked.

"…" Shinichi thought long and hard before answering. "I think that all depends on what we consider to be normal."

"Huh?" Takuya replied in confusion.

Shinichi scoffed. "I'm not a philosopher or anything, but if I have to answer your question I think that's the most logical answer I can give. Could preventing the Prez's death be messing with the balance? Maybe. But in a way, not preventing her death could also be considered messing with the balance. What if her death is unnatural? What if she wasn't originally supposed to die at this fated time? What if some other changes skewed causality so severely that it put her on the path to death? if you think about it that way, there's a million reasons why we should try to prevent her death, and there's a million reasons why we shouldn't try to prevent it. It's almost like a logic loop. There is no right answer. So I guess what it comes down to in the end is what do we want to do?"

"What do we want to do?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"You said it yourself before, you didn't want to just let her die, knowing that you could have done something to prevent it. And if that's the case, then you think that not preventing her death will distort the balance. In your mind, the world will not be in balance with the Prez not in it. And as for me, I don't want to see her die either. So I think we have our answer. It may not be the will of the universe, but it's what we want," Shinichi replied.

"…" Takuya was shocked to say the least. "Wow, that makes a lot of sense. Are you sure you weren't a philosopher? Maybe read a few too many books on the subject or something, when you were alive?"

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders. "Not that I remember, but who knows? Anyway, did I help ease your thoughts?"

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Cool," Shinichi replied. He was about to start his game back, but then suddenly Takuya's phone began to ring.

"Hang on, I'm getting a call," Takuya replied.

"From who?" Shinichi asked out of curiosity.

Takuya stared at the Caller ID on his phone's LCD screen. "Unknown number," Takuya replied.

"That sounds ominous, you gonna answer it?" Shinichi replied.

As his phone continued to ring, Takuya contemplated not answering it, fearing the worst. But then finally his curiosity got the best of him, and he answered the call. "Hello, this is Takuya Miyazaki speaking."

There was a boisterous chuckle on the other end. " _You sound a little petrified. But I guess I can't blame you for being so suspicious. After all I don't think I've given you my personal cellphone number yet._ "

Takuya immediately recognized the voice on the other line. "Grandfather? Is that you?"

" _Yes, it's me. I apologize for calling so late. I was meaning to reach you earlier but I had a staff meeting to attend and a mountain of paperwork to get through,_ " Hiroshi replied.

Takuya chuckled. "No it's fine. I'm just glad to hear your voice. I hadn't heard from you in a while."

" _Yes, that's my fault as well. I wanted to call you so desperately to ask you how your first day of school went but I just got Fuyumi to give me your contact info today. But anyway, how is everything so far? Your classes aren't too troubling I hope?_ " Hiroshi asked.

"No, sir. Everything's fine, my classes don't seem like they'll be that hard. I actually made a few more friends yesterday. We even hung out today during lunch and after classes got out," Takuya replied.

" _Really? That's good to hear, I can't wait to meet them. And I'm so glad you're getting adjusted so quickly. I heard that Morishige-kun was selected as your Homeroom teacher so I was a little worried, he's a brilliant educator, don't get me wrong. But sometimes even I have trouble understanding his process,_ " Hiroshi replied.

Takuya chuckled. "Yeah I heard that too. A lot of people say he's…eccentric, in nicer terms," he replied.

" _You have no idea. Anyway, I should go ahead and cut to the chase so you can get to bed. I received word from the hospital today, and its good news,_ " Hiroshi replied.

Takuya sat up on his bed. "Yeah?! What did they say?! How's Oikawa?!"

"…" Shinichi's eyes widened when he heard the name.

" _His condition is no longer critical and starting tomorrow he can receive visitors. I'd figured you'd want to see him right away so I arranged for transportation to the hospital. Fuyumi said she will escort you there after classes let out,_ " Hiroshi replied.

"Thank you, grandfather! Thank you so much!" Takuya exclaimed practically on the verge of tears.

" _Don't mention it. Now get some rest, you have a big day ahead of you. Good night, Takuya. I love you,_ " Hiroshi replied.

"I love you too, grandfather," Takuya replied, before hanging up the phone.

"Well?! What did he say?!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Oikawa's going to be okay. I can visit him in the hospital tomorrow," Takuya replied with a sigh of relief. Then he looked to Shinichi. "Hey I know we planned to work together on surveillance starting tomorrow, but do you think that I can…"

Shinichi cut Takuya off. "Don't say another word. He's your friend too, and he needs you way more than I do. Go visit him, I'll be fine on my own for one more day."

Takuya smiled. "Thanks, Shinichi."

"Don't mention it," Shinichi replied, before turning his game back on and continuing from where he left off.

Takuya yawned and lied back down on his bed. He got under his covers and got comfortable. "I think I'm going to go ahead and hit the hay. Do me a favor and turn off the lights when you're done playing, okay?"

"Got it," Shinichi replied. And then about a half an hour later, Shinichi turned off his game, and the lights, and retired to his sleeping bag. He looked up at Takuya, who was already fast asleep. He noticed a peaceful look on Takuya's face. "He must be dreaming," Shinichi said to himself. Then he stared up at the ceiling. "I wonder what it's like to dream. Did I dream back when I was alive? I had to have right?" Shinichi whispered to himself. Then he frowned. "I really wish I could remember. I wish I could remember everything." Then Shinichi closed his eyes, and prepared himself for an empty sleep.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, Early Afternoon**

The next day, Takuya woke up earlier than usual and quickly showered and got dressed. He was so excited that he would finally be able to see Masahisa again, even if he wasn't fully conscious yet. Homeroom came and went, as Mr. Gasai continued yesterday's lecture on the Sengoku Era. Takuya noticed that Kyou seemed a little worse for wear. It looked like he had another rough, sleepless night. And true to his words yesterday, the moment Homeroom ended and Mr. Gasai left class, Kyou packed up his things and left early, hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep. Takuya vowed to cover for him if any of the other teachers asked, and Kyou promised to be back before afternoon classes were over so he could attend his next session of detention with Mr. Gasai.

Soon thereafter, the first break began and Takuya received two text messages. One from Fuyumi, who was confirming with Takuya that they planned to leave for the hospital as soon as afternoon classes ended, and one from Ryuta, who invited Takuya to lunch at the dining hall. Though to his surprise, Takuya didn't receive any word from Ayuka. He hadn't even heard from her since the day before last, when she asked if he wanted to meet up for lunch on the rooftop again on Wednesday. Takuya tried texting her to see if their plans were still on, but when lunchtime rolled around and he saw that he had still not received a reply from Ayuka, he decided to take up Ryuta on his offer to meetup for lunch in the dining hall. Soon the lunch bell rang, and after witnessing Hirabayashi try to escape his fan club again, Takuya packed up his things and prepared to go meet Ryuta.

But before he could leave the classroom, someone called out to him. "Excuse me, Miyazaki-kun?" Takuya turned to see that it was his classmate Ahone Ebage, better known as Hope, who addressed him.

"Oh, Hope-san? Can I help you with something?" Takuya asked.

Hope smiled. "I was just wondering if you had any plans for lunch today?"

"Lunch? You want to have lunch with me?" Takuya asked in a confused manner.

Hope nodded. "I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know you a little better. I transferred in just a few weeks ahead of you after all, so I was just wondering how you were settling in so far. The way I see it, us transfer students need to stick together. I would've asked you sooner but you seemed busy these past few days. So how about it? Are you free today? We can get something from the dining hall."

"Oh, I see," Takuya replied and then sighed. "Unfortunately, I already made plans with someone else for lunch. Can we maybe reschedule for another day?"

Hope seemed a little disappointed but then she smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sure. That's fine. I don't mind waiting."

"Cool," Takuya simply replied and then packed up the rest of his things. "Nice talking with you, Hope-san," he said before leaving the classroom.

Hope soon found herself completely alone in Classroom 2-B. She frowned and then sighed. "Oh well, at least I tried to talk to him, guess I'll just go to my secret spot and do the usual for lunch." She went to her bag and then checked through her personal belongings, and then went on to pull out several portable game consoles and place them carefully on her desk. "Hmm, what am I in the mood for today? FPS? RPG? Platformer? Visual Novel?" She thought about it for a moment and then picked the middle console, a cherry red 3DS. "I choose you. I need to finish the new _Pokémon_ game anyway; the next one's release is right around the corner after all." Her game for the afternoon was selected and she stowed her chosen console in her skirt pocket and put the rest back into her bag. Then Hope collected her things and ran off to her secret spot in the school so she could play her video games and have lunch in peace and quiet.

Most people would not guess it from her prim and proper attitude and her very exceptional grades, but Ahone Ebage was in fact, a very, very bad video game addict. The reason she looked tired all the time was not in fact because she stayed up late every night studying, like what her teachers and peers thought, it was in fact because she would spend most of the night feeding her addiction. She played all types of games and never discriminated, it was actually hard to find a game that she hadn't played once or twice before. However, due to some very stressful circumstances, she wasn't allowed to have such hobbies. Which is why she felt she always had to hide her true self from others. But to her, the sneakiness was worth it, because sometimes she felt like video games were the only things that kept her going. Without them, she didn't know what she would do.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, Early Afternoon**

That day, Ayuka Yamasato did not go to school. Yesterday, after being kicked out of the orchestra club, she ran home with tears in her eyes and a knot in the pit of her stomach. Deep down, she knew that the things that Yurika had said to her were all true. Who was she to speak for Haruna Iwasaki? Even if Yurika did blackmail her so she could steal her composition and use it for her art school audition, Ayuka still barely knew her. And yet she was trying to defend her and make Yurika admit what she did. Ayuka was sure that Haruna had tried to talk to her a few times, and she was one of the ones who frequently tried to get her to participate. But Ayuka shut her out, just like she did everyone else in her life. And because of that, she never knew anything about her except for her name. And she would never get the chance to know her ever again.

Ayuka felt that she should've noticed what was going on with Haruna. After all, there were so many days when she wished she could have done the same thing as her. The hurt she felt, Haruna felt it too. So why did she of all people not try to help her? As Ayuka laid on her bed and cried into her pillow, she thought about this over and over again. Until finally, she came to a conclusion. Maybe she did see the signs, and just chose to ignore it, because she felt Haruna would've been better off dead. It was the same way she felt after all.

Ayuka's parents arrived home late and saw that she was still up and had tearstains all over her face. It was easy to tell that she had been crying nonstop for a while now. They tried their best to comfort her and ask what was wrong, but Ayuka shut them out like she always did and simply said that she had been kicked out of her club and that she was upset about it. Clearly, there was more to it. Her parents knew her better than that. Which is why when she asked if she could stay home from school tomorrow, they didn't question it and simply let her do as she pleased.

When Ayuka woke up the following day, she was surprised to see that it was almost noon. She had slept for over ten hours, and yet she still felt like lying in bed. 'So this is full-on depression, huh?' she joked to herself. 'To think there would be more to it than just crying. But it's true, I don't feel like doing anything at all.' Ayuka turned over and laid her eyes on an old family photo that she kept on her nightstand. It showed a time shortly before Benzo's diagnosis, a time when everyone in the family still smiled. A time she could almost barely remember. 'I can't stay in bed for the rest of my life. It's time to get up.' So even though it went against her true wishes, she forced herself up out of bed and out of her room. Though she chose to stay in her pajamas, a loose white T-shirt with a blue broken heart decal on it and a pair of gray sweatpants; she had also neglected to do up her hair, so instead of being held in a bun, it cascaded down to her shoulders and still remained messy with bed-head.

Ayuka climbed down the stairs to find a surprising sight. Her mother was home from work, in fact it didn't look like she had gone into work at all today. She was wearing a casual outfit, a yellowish-green shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of simple black shoes; she was also wearing a white apron and appeared to be making lunch. Ayuka's mother, Akari Yamasato, shared many similar features to her daughter; she had the same auburn hair, only shorter and ending at her neck, and the same hazel eyes, only more lively and warm. Ayuka had heard from many people growing up that she looked just like her mother did at her age, and over the years she had grown to see this was true. Akari turned around when she heard Ayuka coming down the stairs. "Oh, look who's finally up."

"I'm sorry for sleeping in so late, I must have been more exhausted than I thought," Ayuka replied as she continued to walk down the stairs.

"It's okay, sweetie," Akari replied. "You push yourself so hard, you need to rest every now and then. I was just in the middle of making lunch. Take a seat at the table, it's almost ready." Then Akari turned her attention back to her meal preparations.

Ayuka sat down at the table without another word and silently tapped her finger on the table while she waited for lunch to be ready, and her mother hummed a song to herself while she continued cooking. Ayuka recognized the melody, 'That's Mozart. It's been so long since I've heard mom even listen to classical music,' Ayuka thought to herself. Then she lightly smiled. 'I've missed listening to her humming.' Ayuka recalled that her mother had almost always hummed a classical tune to herself while she was doing something, hearing that when she was younger was one of the things that got her so interested in classical music in the first place. Though Ayuka noticed that she had done this increasingly less so than before Benzo's passing. A few minutes later, Akari finished cooking and brought over a tray of food to the table.

"Here you go, I made all your favorites," Akari said as she placed the food on the table in front of Ayuka.

Ayuka smiled. "Mom, you didn't have to do all of this," she replied.

Akari smiled back at her daughter. "Oh hush now, all mothers want to spoil their children every now and then. I was even going to bring it up to your room for you, but now that you're here we can have lunch together."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Ayuka replied.

Ayuka and her mother than made their plates and prepared to eat together. "Thank you for the food," the two said before digging in. And as they ate, they talked about different things; each woman trying to catch up in what was going on in the other's life. And for a little while, Ayuka forgot her troubles. Until she suddenly remembered what happened yesterday, and realized why her mother went through so much trouble for her.

"Mom, why aren't you at work, right now?" Ayuka asked.

"…" Akari frowned and fell silent.

"It's not that I don't like that you're here with me. I just want to know," Ayuka explained.

"I just thought that with all that you're going through, maybe you shouldn't be left alone. And I wanted to spend some quality time with my daughter. We talk so little to each other these days, I feel like we're strangers," Akari replied in a concerned tone.

"Mom, I don't need you to be worried about me," Ayuka replied. "I'm fine, I was just a little upset about being kicked out of the orchestra club. I'll get over it."

"Sweetie, you're a smart young girl. So I think you can guess that I know there's more to this. What happened? They couldn't have just let you go without explaining why," Akari replied.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ayuka replied.

"…" silence fell over the table.

Akari sighed. "I heard about what happened to that girl in your club. The school already called to talk to us about it. Were you close with her?"

Ayuka shook her head. "Not really."

Akari smiled. "So that's what it is. Now that she's gone, you're regretting that you didn't take the chance to get to know her better."

Ayuka was surprised. "How did you…?"

Akari giggled. "Mother's intuition. It's my job to guess what's on your mind and know how you're feeling." Then she frowned. "Sweetie, from what I've heard about this girl, she was really something special. And I know that it doesn't seem right for anyone to…" Akari couldn't finish the thought. "Sometimes the hurt people feel inside is so great that it can swallow them whole. And when they're in that dark corner, it seems like there's no way out at all. But there is always hope, you have to remember that. The important thing to do, is let other people in. They can't help you if you don't tell them what's wrong. That poor girl wouldn't let anyone help her, and she felt like she had no other choice." Akari sighed. "In this day and age, that's just happening more and more often. It's horrible, but it's preventable. You just have to be willing to ask for help."

"…" Ayuka looked down at her plate. She thought for a few moments about what she wanted to say, until finally she just thought she'd just cut straight to the chase. "Mom, do you think I'm suicidal?"

Akari reached across the table and grabbed ahold of Ayuka's hands. "Ayuka, I'm not telling you this to be hurtful. I'm just worried about you. Your father and I are both worried. We hardly ever talk to you anymore. We barely know what's going on in your life. You never want to let us in. And when you do talk to us it's like you're in own little world. I can't stand leaving things like this. Please, just tell me what's really on your mind. I promise I won't judge you, I just want my daughter back."

"…" Ayuka was silent for a little while. Then she finally sighed and admitted the truth. "I just didn't want to worry you, but I guess just hiding my feelings made you worry even more, huh? I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry." She was silent for a few moments as she organized her thoughts, and then she began to speak again. "The truth is, there are some days when I do feel like I've had enough. I do my best to keep up a brave face around you and dad, but those kinds of thoughts are always somewhere in the back of my head. Sometimes, I feel so alone. Like, there's no one else but me in the entire world. Nothing but empty darkness." Ayuka's eyes began to water. "It almost feels like I'm drowning in my own life. And I think it's all just too much, and I start to feel like maybe it would be better if I just ended it all. I find it harder and harder to just keep on living. Even today, I felt like I didn't want to even get up out of bed. I'm scared of what might happen if I just continue on like this."

"How long have you felt like this?" Akari asked her daughter.

"You should know, mom. I started to feel this way for the same reason you and dad aren't hardly around anymore. For the same reason we stopped going out as a family. And for the same reason nobody can stand to touch our piano. I miss him, mom. I miss him so much." Akari got up from her seat and walked around to Ayuka, and then she pulled her into a hug. "Nothing's the same!" Ayuka cried into her mother's shoulder. "He should be here with us right now! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

Akari rubbed her daughter's back. "I know, sweetie. I miss him too. Every single day I wake up hoping he'll be sitting at the table with you, smiling just like he always does. A parent should never have to outlive their child. You're right, it isn't fair." For a few more minutes, Ayuka just continued to cry and Akari continued to comfort her. Until finally, Ayuka pulled away and dried her eyes. "Do you feel better now, sweetie?"

"I don't think I'll ever really feel better," Ayuka replied.

Akari sighed. "I know. Truth be told, I don't think I ever will either. But you know, Benzo wouldn't want to see us all acting so miserable for the rest of our lives. He would want us to be happy, in any way that we can. He would want us to live for him and experience what he never got the chance to experience." Akari smiled at Ayuka. "And I know for a fact that he definitely wouldn't want his big sister feeling this way."

Ayuka nodded. "You're probably right." She sniffled and smiled. "Every time I would feel troubled or upset, he wouldn't stop bugging me until I was playing with him again. He knew just what to say to cheer me up." Ayuka looked up at her mother. "Thank you, mom. I feel a lot better now, for real."

"No problem, sweetie. And remember, if you ever start feeling so bad again, don't hesitate to talk to me and your father. You're our little sunflower, and every time you feel unhappy, we feel unhappy. You're much more pretty when you're smiling. Never forget that. Okay?"

"Okay," Ayuka replied with an added smile.

"Good," Akari replied, before sitting down and eating the rest of her lunch. "So we both have the day off. Do you want to go do something, just the two of us? Ooh, how about a movie?"

Ayuka nodded. "Sure, mom. That sounds great." Then a thought occurred to Ayuka. "Umm, actually do you mind if we go somewhere else after the movie? I…I think I need to do something."

"Sure sweetie, what did you have in mind?" Akari asked.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, After School**

Just as Mr. Gasai was finishing up his lecture, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. "Oh, it appears we've finished just in time. Well that's all for today class, please be sure to do the assigned reading for tomorrow. And remember, even though you only have me for one period a few days out of the week, that doesn't mean you should neglect your other classes. I won't name names, but let's just say I have it on good authority that someone's been picky about which classes they choose to attend," said Mr. Gasai.

"Shit, how'd he find out so fast?" Kyou cursed underneath his breath.

"Teachers talk, he probably heard it through the grapevine. Just pray he doesn't punish you for it," Takuya whispered back to him.

"Damn, I slept for most of the day and I'm still tired. When is this torture going to end?" Kyou asked himself. After being properly dismissed through class duty, the class began to pack up their things to leave for the day. "So, you got any plans this afternoon?" Kyou asked Takuya.

"Yeah, actually I do. I'm going to go see a friend of mine in the hospital," Takuya replied.

Kyou's eyes widened in surprise. "Your friend's in the hospital? Who?"

"No one you know, we met by chance on the plane ride over here. He was attending Yousha too," Takuya replied.

"Well what happened?" Kyou asked.

Takuya sighed. "Well to make a long story short, he was struck head on by a car and he barely survived," he replied in a serious tone.

"Geez, I'm sorry to hear that," Kyou replied.

"He's still alive that's the main thing, but right now he's in a coma. And the doctors say that they're not sure when he's going to wake up," Takuya added.

"Well you're a good friend for going to visit him. I'm sure he would really appreciate it. Give him my best. And if you want some company the next time you visit, let me know. I've got your back," Kyou replied with a smile.

Takuya smiled back at Kyou. "Thanks man, that means a lot."

Unbeknownst to Takuya and Kyou, someone had overheard their conversation. That someone being, Hope. 'His friend's in the hospital? How sad,' she thought to herself. Then Takuya and Kyou parted ways and Hope watched Takuya leave the classroom. 'Should I go say something to him?' she asked herself. Then she shook her head. 'No, he'll just think I'm weird for eavesdropping on his conversation like that. I'll just try and talk to him about it tomorrow.' Then to Hope's surprise, Kyou suddenly addressed her.

"Yo, Ebage-san?" Kyou called out to her, making the girl jump slightly in surprise. "Is something wrong? Usually, you're the first one out of the classroom when the last bell rings."

"…" Hope silently shook her head.

"Well okay then, if you say so. See you tomorrow," Kyou replied, before sitting back down in his desk and preparing for his next dose of detention with Mr. Gasai. Meanwhile, Hope finished packing up her things and then she exited the classroom without another word. Then she stopped when she entered the hallway and looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Takuya. But he was already gone.

'Still though, I wonder why. What is this feeling I get from him? It feels warm and calming, but at the same time it feels dark and unsettling,' Hope thought to herself. 'He feels so different from other people. What could it be?' Hope thought for a moment that she might be attracted to Takuya, and without even knowing it, developed a small crush on him. But then she quickly dismissed those thoughts. 'No, it's not that. It's something else entirely. I sense something truly amazing inside of him, something other-worldly.' Then she sighed. 'Yeah right, I've played one too many JRPGs. Transfer students with incredible powers don't exist in real life. You're mixing reality and games again, Hope.'

Then a thought came to her. 'Ooh, that reminds me. I bought that new JRPG the other day and I still haven't played it yet. Real life can wait, time to go slay some demons.' And without another thought, Hope quickly scurried off to her dorm.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, After School**

Takuya rushed back to his dorm to change his clothes before heading to the front gate to meet up with his cousin, Fuyumi Miyazaki. He was now wearing a pair of green pants, a yellow T-shirt with a peace-sign decal on it, his blue hoodie, and his pair of beaten up black and white sneakers. Fuyumi was also dressed in casual clothes. She wore a white top over a black undershirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of brown shoes. Then the two teenagers hopped into the same limousine that brought them to the academy a few nights ago and made their way to Mitsui Memorial Hospital, while catching up with each other over the events of the past few days. Takuya noticed that Fuyumi seemed rather troubled about something so he decided to ask her what was on her mind. As it turns out, she was rather worried about Michiko Endou. Takuya found out that Michiko had not attended any of her classes yesterday or today, and she explained how upset she seemed about the passing of Haruna Iwasaki. Takuya thought this was rather suspicious as well, but didn't want to burden his cousin with more worries so he chose to simply comfort her instead of expressing his concern. Though he wondered, where exactly had Michiko disappeared too?

Soon the cousins, arrived at their destination, Mitsui Memorial Hospital. The hospital where just a few nights ago, Takuya's friend, Masahisa Oikawa, was admitted to with life-threatening injuries. "I'll go and check us in. Grandfather didn't tell me what room your friend was in. Here, you hold onto these." Fuyumi handed Takuya a large bouquet, which was made of flowers of varying species and colors. It almost seemed grotesque in some visionary aspect. Then Fuyumi went to the lobby's front desk, and came back a few minutes later with Oikawa's room information. "They moved him to the general ward on the twelfth floor. He's in Room 1228. Come on, follow me."

"…" Takuya silently nodded and followed his cousin to the elevators. Then they boarded an elevator together and rode up to the twelfth floor. "Hey, Fuyu?" Takuya asked. "Where did you get this bouquet anyway?"

"Oh, well I thought that since we're going to visit your friend, bringing flowers would be the appropriate thing to do. So today during lunch period, I went into the city and found this nice little flower shop that lets you make your own bouquets," Fuyumi explained.

"So you were the one who made this ugly ass…?" Takuya replied but was cut off by a nasty glare from Fuyumi. "I mean this ridiculously beautiful bouquet?"

Fuyumi smiled. "Yes, that's right. I didn't pay much attention to style of form, I just picked out the flowers that had the best symbolism for your friend. See, there's some anemone flowers to help wish for his recovery, freesia to give him a needed energy boost, delphinium to represent the bold actions he undertook, gladioli to represent his strength and bravery, geraniums to offer comfort, marigolds for good fortune, peonies for healing, zinnias to let him know that we're thinking about him, camellias to represent mine and grandfather's appreciation for saving your life, and daffodils to symbolize the lasting friendship between the two of you."

"…" Takuya simply sweatdropped.

"What? Floriography is a hobby of mine. It's interesting to find out what you can say to someone with just one flower," Fuyumi replied. "I just wanted to make sure your friend knows just how grateful I am to him." Fuyumi frowned. "If it wasn't for him, you might be…"

Takuya frowned as well. "Yeah, I know. I'm grateful too. Thanks for the gesture, I'm sure he'd really appreciate it." Takuya stared at the bouquet in a little more detail, and he took note of just how much time and effort his cousin went into picking each flower. "So you picked all of these out yourself, eh? Now that I take a second look, it's not that bad."

"I was amazed at their selection. Usually it's hard to get some of these flowers, as they aren't native to Japan and only grow in certain countries. But they really had every single flower you could think of there." Then she smiled. "If you want, I can take you there sometime. I could even help you pick out a bouquet for a certain special auburn-haired beauty."

Takuya scoffed. "Geez, again with this?" At that moment, the elevator finally reached the twelfth floor and the cousins got off and proceeded to walk down the hallway to Masahisa's room. "I already told you, Ayuka and I are just friends."

"Even if you say that, you can't speak for Yamasato-san herself. These past few days, I've noticed that she seems rather different. She seems more lively and easy-going. And you've been spending an awful lot of time with her. Ergo, the reason she's acting so different is because of you."

"…" Takuya simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

Then Fuyumi's expression turned serious. "Hey, did you say anything to her yesterday?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, I didn't hear from her at all yesterday, actually. As a matter of fact, the last time we talked was Monday night. I haven't heard from her since then. Which is odd, because we were actually planning to have lunch together again today, but she never showed up."

"Oh, you didn't know? Yamasato-san was absent today," Fuyumi replied.

"Huh?" Takuya replied out of concern. "What happened to her?"

Fuyumi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know; she just didn't show up today. You know her better than I do, so I figured you'd know something."

"No, I had no idea," Takuya replied in a worried tone.

"Well look, don't get worried over nothing. For all we know, she just caught a cold. Let's wait and see if she comes in tomorrow, and if not then we'll look into it," Fuyumi said to try to calm her cousin.

Takuya sighed. "Okay." And then a few moments later the cousins arrived at Oikawa's room. Room 1228.

"Whelp, here we are. Take as long as you need, I'll be waiting outside for you when you're ready to go," said Fuyumi.

"Wait. You're not coming in with me?" Takuya asked.

Fuyumi shook her head. "Not today, grandfather wants me to get the info about Oikawa's treatments from his doctor. He's planning to pay for everything himself since Oikawa's parents show no interest whatsoever in helping."

"…" Takuya glared at that comment.

"If you need me, I'll be over at the check-in area. Tell your friend, I said hello, okay?" Fuyumi replied.

"…" Takuya nodded silently. Then Fuyumi turned to leave. "Oh, and Fuyu?" Takuya called out to his cousin.

"Yeah?" Fuyumi replied.

"Thank you for all of this," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi smiled. "No problem." Then she headed for the check-in area.

Takuya faced the door to Oikawa's room. He took in a deep breath and then said to himself, "Here goes nothing." Then he carefully pushed open the door and entered his friend's hospital room.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, After School**

Takuya walked into the hospital room and shut the door behind him. And he saw his friend, Masahisa Oikawa, asleep on the hospital bed. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, which would beep each moment in a sort of hypnotic rhythm. The beep was a good thing, it let Takuya know that his friend was still alive. Takuya approached Masahisa's bed and saw that he was also wearing a respirator mask to breathe. The respirator in question was sitting in the corner of the room, slowly pumping air to the mask and helping Masahisa breathe. Takuya looked at Masahisa's face; it was much better than he remembered it. Most of the wounds looked like they were starting to heal, and only one of them on his right cheek looked like it would leave a permanent scar. He then examined his body and saw that Masahisa's right arm, as well as both his legs were in some heavy-duty casts, and his left arm was in a sling and was resting over his chest. Masahisa was wearing a hospital robe, but Takuya could see a few scars and stitches here and there.

"God Oikawa, just look at you," Takuya said to his comatose friend. "You look like you're more wound than man at this point. But I guess that's to be expected from a full body collision with a moving vehicle," he sadly joked.

"…" Masahisa of course didn't respond.

Takuya saw a chair in the corner, and then he dragged it over to the side of Masahisa's bed and sat down beside him. "So much has happened since we last spoke, I don't know where to begin. Well I guess first off, I should tell you I reunited with my cousin and grandfather. They're just like I remember them, for the most part. My cousin, as you know, she's gotten a lot bossier in her since I last saw her. But she's still pretty cool, she brought me here today to see you. She said next time, she'll come and talk to you too. She wanted to thank you in person for saving me like you did."

"…" Masahisa still didn't respond. Only the sounds of his respirator and heart monitor could be heard.

Takuya's eyes started to water. "I…I wanted to thank you too. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here right now. I was the one who wandered out in the road, it should be me lying there in that bed, not you. But I know that you wouldn't want me to think that way, you saved me because we're friends, right? It's just that simple." Then he sighed. "So let's not talk about that anymore. I have so much to tell you. First of all, I made some friends at our new school. They're really great people. There's Shinichi, who's technically met you before. You may not remember him though, because you couldn't see him. Believe it or not, he's a ghost. A real ghost. He can literally walk through walls and stuff. And then there's this girl, Ayuka Yamasato. She's really kind and caring, and though she doesn't admit she's going through a hard time. She lost someone close to her just like me, her younger brother, his name is Benzo. He died of brain cancer a few years ago and she's never been the same since. She's apparently a really talented pianist, but she says she never plays anymore, at least not in front of other people. Her brother's passing really hit her hard. But she's still a wonderful girl, I really want you to meet her. Then there's my dorm neighbor, his name's Ryuta Yanasai. He reminds me so much of you, he's responsible and hard-working but at the same time jokey and not afraid to have fun. He went through a rough patch as well, I don't want to say too much because it's really his story to tell; but suffice it to say, he did a bad thing to protect his little sister, her name is Natsu. He's a really honest and good-natured guy, and a lot of people look up to him. And the kids at the daycare he works at idolize him. I really want you to meet him too. I feel like you two would definitely hit it off."

And then Takuya continued talk to his comatose friend about everything he experienced and all the people he had met over the past few days. He felt like out of everyone, Masahisa needed to know the most. Because if it wasn't for his actions, Takuya wouldn't be who he was today. And Takuya was very grateful to him for that. And though Takuya was the only person who carried on the conversation, he felt deep down that Masahisa could hear what he was saying, and he was cheering him on in his own way. And before Takuya knew it, almost an hour had passed. Takuya checked his cellphone and saw the time. "Whoa, I've been here for a while now. Sorry, guess I didn't notice how much I was talking." Then he looked down at the flower bouquet on the floor. "Oh I almost forgot, my cousin picked these out for you. Each flower is supposed to symbolize something different. I don't exactly remember all the details but she put a lot of heart into it." Takuya spied an empty flower vase on Masahisa's nightstand and then took it to the room's bathroom and filled it with water. Then he placed the flowers into the vase one by one and placed the flower vase back on the nightstand. "There, now they'll last. Hopefully they'll still be fresh by the time you wake up."

"…" Masahisa still didn't respond.

"Anyway, I think I should leave now and let you get your rest. I promise I'll come back and visit as soon as I can, and I'll tell you all about what's happened since then." Takuya was starting to tear up again. "Bye Oikawa, and once again, thank you. Thank you so much." Then to Takuya's surprise, it happened once again. An image of a tarot card flashed in Takuya's head. The card turned over and revealed itself to be No. XVII, the Star. Then a mysterious voice rang out in Takuya's head.

 _I am thou, thou art I…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond._

 _It shall guide thee in thy journey to restore balance_

 _to the unseen world and thine own heart._

 _With the birth of the Star Persona, thou hast gained_ _newfound hope_

 _and the courage to continue on down this path of darkness and find the truth._

 _Don't be afraid to have faith in the direst of times._

 **Injured Friend Soul Link established.**

 **Arcana: Star – Rank 1.**

Takuya blinked a few times and then wiped away his remaining tears. Then he smiled at Masahisa. "You too, eh Oikawa? You're going to help me restore the balance to the world. Thank you, I could use all the help I can get. Till next time, hang in there buddy." And then without another word, Takuya exited the room and went off to find his cousin.

* * *

A/N: With the establishment of another bond, our hero grows stronger still. But little does he know of the tragedy that awaits him just around the corner. He will need every bit of power possible to overcome this ordeal.


	25. Chapter XXII

A/N: The darkness is growing restless. It will soon claim another victim. And it appears as if the journey of the girl whose death has been foretold is slowly coming to an end. How will our hero deal with this coming tragedy? Let us see shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XXII: The black butterfly**

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, After School**

Now finished with his visit, Takuya exited Masahisa's room and headed back in the direction of the twelfth floor's front desk to meet up with his cousin. He had a mixed look of sadness and relief on his face as he walked down the hallway. He was happy that Masahisa appeared to be okay, and happier still that Masahisa was lending him his strength even from his feeble position, but still Takuya was distraught about having to see his friend go through that horrible pain alone. He wondered if Masahisa would ever wake up and was worried that he might spend the rest of his life in that hospital bed, attached to those noisy machines. It hurt Takuya to see his friend like that. Then as he was approaching the front desk, Takuya heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know if Room No. 1245 is empty at the moment?" Takuya looked up from the floor and saw that the familiar voice in question belonged to his friend, Ayuka Yamasato. This was the first time that Takuya had seen Ayuka outside of school, so she was not wearing her uniform. Instead she wore a green blouse and a knee-length blue skirt, with a pair of blue flat-top shoes. Takuya also noticed that she was holding a big bouquet of sunflowers with her.

"Ayuka?" Takuya called out to his friend in confusion.

Ayuka turned her head to see Takuya, and was surprised to see him as well. "Takuya?"

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, After School**

A few minutes later, Takuya was walking back down the hallway with Ayuka in tow. Their destination, Room 1245. "I see, so you were here visiting a friend," said Ayuka, after being filled in by Takuya. "I don't think you ever mentioned him to me. What happened to him?"

"It happened on the day I arrived here. I stupidly ran out into the middle of the road and Oikawa pushed me out of the way and then ended up being hit by a car. Right now he's in a coma and the doctors aren't sure when he'll come out of it. If ever," Takuya explained.

Ayuka frowned. "That's awful, I'm so sorry to hear that."

Takuya sighed. "Yeah, but I have to have hope that he'll get better. Oikawa is a fighter. I only met him a few days ago, but I know that much. I know for sure, he'll wake up eventually." Then finally, the two friends arrived at Room 1245.

"This is it," said Ayuka. Then she hesitated before opening the door and walking inside the room. Takuya was going to wait outside for her, but Ayuka motioned for him to come inside as well. "It's okay, I don't mind if you come inside." Then she looked down at the floor. "Actually, I don't really want to be alone right now. So please?"

Takuya nodded. "Sure," he replied before following Ayuka into the hospital room and closing the door behind them. Once inside, Takuya took note of the room. In a lot of ways, it was similar to Masahisa's hospital room. Even the layout of the furniture was the same. Only the blinds were drawn over the windows so it was a little darker, and it looked like it had been a while since anyone was last in the room.

Ayuka immediately headed for the empty flower vase on the nightstand and went to fill it up with water. Then a few moments later she returned and carefully placed her sunflower bouquet into the vase and placed the vase back on the nightstand. She examined the flower vase's positon carefully and immediately noticed something. "From this angle they're going to need a lot more light. Takuya, can you get the blinds?"

"Yeah, no problem," Takuya replied before walking over to the windows and adjusting the blinds. "How's that?" Takuya asked when the room was a little brighter.

"Perfect, thank you," Ayuka replied. Then for a few minutes, Ayuka just silently stared at the sunflowers. While Takuya silently stared at Ayuka.

"…" neither of them said a single word the entire time.

Takuya wondered if he should say something to lift Ayuka's spirits, when suddenly she began to speak. "Sunflowers were his favorite, you know? They're mine too actually. When we were little, our family went out into the country for summer break almost every year to visit our relatives, and there was this huge field of sunflowers nearby. We'd run around in the field playing hide and seek, and have contests to see who could find the biggest one. It's one of my most precious memories with him."

"…" Takuya silently listened to Ayuka's story.

"It wasn't until after he was diagnosed that I heard the rumors about how sunflowers have healing powers. Did you ever hear about the big field of sunflowers that grew in Fukushima? They say that the sunflowers helped heal the radioactive soil left over by the nuclear disaster there. I figured, why couldn't the sunflowers help heal him too?" Ayuka smiled a little. "Each time I visited him, I would bring a big bouquet of sunflowers to help him get better. It wasn't too long before his entire room was filled with them. And you know for a little while, I actually thought it was working. Every time the doctors did a radiation treatment or chemo therapy on him, he would seem a lot less weak and nauseated afterwards." Then she frowned. "But I guess they won't make a difference now will they? There's nothing left to heal after all."

"So this was Benzo's old room then?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka nodded. "For a little over a year, after they had moved him from the oncology ward. Usually when they do that, it's a sign that the cancer's getting more treatable. But Benzo never got well enough to go home. Benzo was so brave, living here day after day. I don't think I could ever do it. I've always hated hospitals and doctors for that matter. It used to just be because I was afraid of injections but…well you can guess the reason I hate them now."

"So then why come here today?" Takuya asked.

"I used to come here a lot after Benzo passed away. I would say hello to the kids we met in the oncology ward when he was being treated there before and then bring a bouquet of sunflowers to Benzo's empty room. Did you know that if a patient stays in a room long enough, the hospital staff tend to think of that room as belonging solely to that patient? They even asked my parents if they wanted the room to be memorialized as Benzo's. They declined of course, they didn't see the point of keeping a room from another patient in need. But the hospital staff still barely uses this room anymore. I guess it's special to them as well. Benzo touched a lot of lives. But this is the first time in almost two years that I've been back. It got to the point where just coming here would make me want to cry." Then she scoffed. "The funny thing is, this is as far as I can go. The place where he died. I've only been to see his grave once, the day of his funeral. I've never set foot there since."

"It was too painful?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka nodded. "I felt like if I kept going there, it would make his death seem all the more real. At least here I can pretend, even if it's just for a moment, that he's still alive. He's just somewhere in the building undergoing more tests and treatments. He'll be back in a little while." She sighed. "I know that's not a healthy way to deal with my grief, but it's all I can manage to do." Ayuka sat down on the hospital bed and then motioned for Takuya to sit down beside her.

Takuya did as Ayuka wanted and then when she fell silent, he asked the question he had been wanting to ask. "Ayuka, why weren't you at school today?"

"I take it your cousin told you then," Ayuka replied.

"Did something happen?" Takuya asked.

"…" Ayuka was silent.

"Ayuka, you can tell me if something's bothering you. We're friends, right?" Takuya replied.

"…" Ayuka was still silent.

"Ayuka, please talk to me. If you have a problem, I want to help you deal with it. That's what friends are for," Takuya replied.

Ayuka sighed in defeat and then began to explain things. "Do you know about that girl who committed suicide a few days ago?" she asked.

"You mean Haruna Iwasaki? She was in the orchestra club with you, right?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka nodded. "I never really talked to her that much…or I guess, at all really. But now that she's gone I feel really bad. I've been in her shoes before. I think I still am actually. The pain, it can easily get to a point where it's just too unbearable to keep moving forward. One thing, I do remember about her though, is that she was always happy and smiling. I guess she could just hide the pain better than I can, huh?"

"…" Takuya was silent as Ayuka continued to speak.

"Yesterday I learned more about what she was going through before her death. And I found out something really bad. I don't know if it was the direct cause of her suicide or just one of many reasons, but learning about it made me very upset. And now, I…I just…I just don't know what to do with this information." Ayuka was starting to tear up.

"Have you tried talking to the other club members about this? Or maybe even Endou-senpai? Surely she could…?" Takuya was cut off.

"The orchestra club is the problem!" Ayuka exclaimed. "If it wasn't for _her_ , Iwasaki-san might still be alive," Ayuka added as she clenched her fists. "And Endou-senpai, she's at fault too. If she had kept better track of what was going on in the club, then she could've intervened before it was too late. Iwasaki-san, she loved making music, just like I used to. And that club took advantage of her passion. It broke her, and killed her." Tears were now streaming down Ayuka's face. "I don't know…what to do, Takuya. I…I don't know…what to do." For a few moments, the hospital room was filled with nothing but the sound of Ayuka's crying, until Takuya finally calmed her down by pulling her into a hug.

"…" Ayuka gasped in surprise at the sudden contact. For a minute or two, they just sat like that. Takuya embracing Ayuka and doing his best to comfort her, and Ayuka trying to pull herself together while doing her best not to get too many tears on Takuya's shirt. Then when Ayuka finally stopped sobbing, Takuya released her from his hold.

"I'm sorry for surprising you like that. I just thought, since it helped you last time that…it would, you know…" Takuya noticed that Ayuka was blushing a deep red now. Her reaction began to make Takuya blush as well. "Umm, but s-seriously, s-sorry for the sudden ph-physical contact," he muttered. 'What the hell is with that reaction? She didn't do that the last time around. In fact, she was the one who hugged me,' Takuya thought to himself.

"N-No, it's alright, I was just surprised is all," Ayuka replied in an embarrassed tone. 'What's going on? My face feels like it's on fire,' Ayuka thought to herself. Ayuka took a deep breath to calm down and then she smiled at Takuya. "Thank you, I needed that." Then she scoffed. "My mom had to do the same thing to me just a few hours ago. It seems like I'm crying more and more these days."

"…" Takuya was silent as he listened to Ayuka.

Then Ayuka frowned. "Hey Takuya, have you ever felt like this before? Sad all the time? Too weak to even move? Forced to smile even when you didn't want to?"

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, a few times, I guess. Isn't that normal for everyone though?"

"I've felt like this for years," Ayuka replied. "I'm pretty sure everyone doesn't go through that. But it's only now that I realize how much depression I've been holding onto, and how much happiness I've been faking during that time." Then she sadly giggled. "Do you want to know when the first time I've felt legitimately happy for years was?" She turned to Takuya and softly smiled at him. "It was the day I first met you."

"M-Me?" Takuya replied in confusion.

Ayuka nodded. "You're the first person, since my brother died, who I haven't had to force a smile for. You understand my pain, because you're going through something very similar. You declared that we were friends after the very first conversation we had with each other. I could tell right away, that you were someone very special. And before I knew it, I started to let go of my depression. If only just a little bit. And I let warmth back into my heart. You made me feel what it was like to truly live again. And I want to thank you for that. Thank you for being my friend."

Takuya still looked confused. "Ayuka, what are you planning on doing?" He was very concerned for his friend. 'The way she's talking; it sets me on edge.'

Ayuka shook her head. "I…I don't really know yet. I have things I need to do; I want to get justice for Iwasaki-san. But other than that, I…I'm not sure. All I know is, that I'm tired. I'm so very tired."

"…" for a few moments, neither of them said anything. Then suddenly, Ayuka began speaking again.

"Hey, you remember the promise you and Shinichi made me, right? If my brother turned out to be trapped inside of Limbo, you would rescue him. I can still count on you, no matter what happens, right?" Ayuka asked.

"Of course, but what might happen?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka looked down at the floor. "I don't know. Not yet at least." Then she looked back at Takuya. "Can I give you something to hold onto?"

"Sure, what is it?" Takuya replied. Ayuka reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. Then she unfolded it and handed it to Takuya. Takuya studied the paper in curiosity. It appeared to be sheet music. "A song?" Takuya replied in confusion.

"Before Benzo passed away, he said that he was going to write a composition for me, and me alone. He said it was to remember him by, but I didn't want a song, all I wanted was my brother. Then he promised that he would be the one to play it for me, it was a promise from him that he would get better and come back to me. But he only finished it after he was too weak to even leave his bed. So to this day, I've never even heard it," Ayuka explained.

Takuya shook his head. "I…I can't take this from you." He tried to return the sheet music but Ayuka wouldn't accept it.

"No, I want you to hold on to it for me. If you find Benzo, show him this song he wrote. It might help him truly pass on. I don't want to see him in anymore pain, just please do this for me," Ayuka pleaded.

Takuya sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll take it. But I'm just holding onto it for now, okay? After I've looked into your brother's death, I'm going to give this back." Then Takuya carefully folded and stowed the sheet music in his right pants' pocket. Then he got up off of the bed. "I think I better get going, Fuyu's probably wondering where I am."

"Fuyu?" Ayuka repeated the name in confusion.

"You know, Fuyumi, my cousin? She was the one who brought me here today," Takuya replied.

Ayuka smiled. "Oh, Miyazaki-san. I guess I didn't know that you had a nickname for her," she replied. "Give her my best, and tell her I'll be at school tomorrow for sure."

"You've got it," Takuya replied. "By the way, do you need a ride back to your house? I'm sure Fuyu wouldn't mind it if we waited for you a little bit longer."

Ayuka shook her head. "No, it's fine. My mom's here with me. She's busy talking to Benzo's old doctor right now."

"Oh, well are you going to be okay here by yourself?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. My mom should be up here in a little while."

"Okay, if you say so," Takuya replied. Then he walked towards the door and opened it to go outside, but before he left, Takuya sighed and turned back to look at Ayuka one more time. "Ayuka, I am your friend, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be looking out for you, nothing will ever change that. So remember, you don't have to go through everything alone. I want to help you, in any way I can. All you have to do is ask for my help."

Ayuka frowned and looked down at the floor. "My mom told me something similar earlier today. She said what happened to Iwasaki-san, might not have happened if she just asked for help and talked to someone about her troubles. But I don't know if it's accurate to say that she didn't reach out to anyone. She had to have talked to someone at some point. She had to have. And yet, she still chose to end her suffering that way. I doubt she wanted things to end the way they did, but in the end she didn't think she had any other options."

"I…I can't believe that," Takuya replied hesitantly. "There's always another way out. Doing something like that doesn't solve anyone's problems. All it does is make the people around you suffer."

"Maybe you're right," Ayuka replied. "But still, would you say the same thing if you were in her shoes? Or your friend from America's shoes for that matter?"

"…" Takuya fell silent.

"On some level, I don't think we'll ever truly be able to help people like that. Because even if their brains say one thing, their hearts might be saying something else," Ayuka replied.

That's when Takuya saw something otherworldly. His eyes widened in surprise. 'What the…?!' he inwardly exclaimed. A butterfly suddenly appeared out of thin air and began to hover around Ayuka, until it finally perched on her right shoulder. It did nothing except mindlessly flap its wings. 'Isn't that? No, it's not the same one,' Takuya thought to himself. This butterfly was indeed not the one that he was familiar with. Where that butterfly was a dazzling blue, this butterfly was a dark, mysterious black.

"Takuya?" Ayuka seemed confused. "What's up with your eyes?"

"What?" Takuya replied in confusion.

"They're…they're red," Ayuka replied.

"What?" Takuya replied again, in an even more confused manner.

"They're red and glowing, like when you were in Limbo," Ayuka explained. Then she gasped. "Are you seeing something right now?! A ghost?! Is it Benzo?! This was his room after all!"

"I…I don't…" Takuya didn't know how to respond. He didn't know why his eyes had suddenly changed color, or what it exactly meant for that matter. But he knew one thing for sure, he definitely was not seeing a ghost. It was something dark and malevolent; for whatever reason, Takuya knew that this black butterfly was a bad omen. And then suddenly the butterfly vanished once again from his sight. 'What? Where did it go?'

"T-Takuya?" Ayuka replied. "Your eyes are back to normal now. What happened?"

"I…I don't know," Takuya replied.

"Did you see my brother?" Ayuka asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, I didn't see anyone. Sorry." Takuya decided it would be best to keep the presence of the black butterfly from Ayuka. There was no way she would be able to make any sense of what he couldn't. But Takuya couldn't shake the bad feeling he got from seeing the black butterfly.

Ayuka looked crestfallen. "Oh, I see. I guess, I got my hopes up too much, huh?" Then she looked back at Takuya. "But then why did your eyes change color like that?"

"I'm not sure," Takuya replied. "But I'm going to find out." Takuya was still concerned about Ayuka. The mask that she had hid behind for the past few years was starting to slip off, and her true feelings were bubbling to the surface. The pain that she felt inside would not go unnoticed anymore. And Takuya could finally see just how much pain she had inside. Ayuka Yamasato was broken. Just like Shinichi, just like Ryuta, just like him. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, right?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka nodded. "Yeah, I'll be back tomorrow, no need to worry." She softly smiled at Takuya. "And how about I treat you to that overdue lunch date?"

"You don't have to make lunch for me if you're not up to it," Takuya replied.

"No, I want to," Ayuka replied. "So I'll see you on the rooftop again tomorrow during lunch, okay?"

Takuya nodded. "Okay, see you then. Later." Then he reluctantly exited the hospital room and closed the door behind him, leaving Ayuka alone in the room.

"…" Ayuka was silent for a few moments as she contemplated everything that had happened over the past few days. Her first encounter with Takuya.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Ayuka seemed surprised by Takuya's request. "I…I'm not sure, it's been a while since I've played in front of anyone before. I don't even really play at club practice; I just sort of go through the motions."_

 _"What's the problem? Do you have stage fright or something?" Takuya asked out of curiosity._

 _Ayuka sighed and then she turned to the piano in the clubroom, and then she gently rubbed her hand across the lid of it. "One of the first memories I have was listening to one of Mozart's pieces. My family has always been really into classical music, and I'm no exception. I loved listening to it so much that one day out of the blue I started playing my family's grand piano. I tried playing along to the song and it only took a few tries before I was completely in the music's rhythm. My parents told me I had a gift and they inspired me to nurture that gift and use it to become a great musician like the ones I admired so much. I used to dream about playing in a big symphony one day, or maybe even have my own solo concert. The piano and then the harpsichord, I loved playing them so much. I couldn't get enough."_

 _"So what happened?" Takuya asked out of concern._

 _"My little brother, Benzo, he was a really gifted musician too. He was only a year younger than me so from the day he was born I thought of him as not only my brother but as my best friend too. We used to put on these little concerts for our parents. I would play on the harpsichord and he would play on the piano, he was a much more gifted pianist than I was. It took him half the time I did to fully master some of the hardest compositions." While she was talking, Ayuka walked over to the front of the piano and pulled up the fall, revealing the keys. "He should be on his way to becoming a grand pianist now, and he should be here with me now as a first year." She started fiddling with the piano keys, making soft notes break the silent air. "He would be in the club with me, and together we would become the single best duo in here easily. We might have even been asked to headline at our venues." Then she held onto a sharp note key and let it ring out. "Things would be so perfect if he was here."_

 _Takuya sighed. "He died, eh? I'm so sorry for your loss."_

 _Ayuka nodded but didn't look at Takuya. "Thank you, I appreciate your sympathy."_

 _"If I'm not being too forward, may I ask, how did he die?" Takuya asked._

 _"It's fine, my parents told me that it helps with the grief to talk to someone. Four years ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer." Ayuka clenched her fists tightly. "We were all scared but optimistic. I knew more than anyone that Benzo was a fighter, I knew for sure that with some hope and proper care he would be back to playing the piano again in no time." Ayuka tried to stop herself from crying but she let a single teardrop slip past her. "But I was wrong, he fought so hard and yet it still wasn't enough. Two years later my brother, my best friend, was taken away from me." Ayuka didn't even attempt to stop the tears from flowing now. "After that, I was lost. It hurt to play anything, it reminded me too much of Benzo and the pain I felt knowing that I would never see him again. If it weren't for my parents' insistence, I would have stopped playing then." She was crying so much that she was forced to sit down on the piano bench. Then she buried her face into the piano lid and cried her eyes out._

 _"…" Takuya silently crept over to Ayuka and sat down on the piano bench next to her. He hesitated, before rubbing her back in an effort to calm her down._

 _In response to his gesture, she turned to face him and then threw her arms around his neck. Then she pulled him into a hug and began crying into his shoulder, much like his cousin had done the day before. "I miss him so much," she mumbled into his dress jacket. Takuya then wrapped his arms around Ayuka and pulled her in closer. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Ayuka calmed down and her tears turned into sniffles. Then she pulled away from Takuya and looked up at him with puffy red eyes, then she released the hold she had over his neck and scooched further down on the piano bench. "Thank you, I needed that."_

 _"No problem," Takuya simply replied._

 _Ayuka continued to sniffle but she began to talk once again. "I think that's the first time I've talked to anyone about my brother since I started school here. It felt good, letting go of all that pain. But I'm sorry, if I made you feel uncomfortable at all."_

 _Takuya shook his head. "It's fine, truth be told, a friend of mine died recently too. So I can relate to what you're going through."_

 _"Really? May I ask how they died? If I'm not being too forward that is," Ayuka replied._

 _"He committed suicide," Takuya simply replied. "He was being horribly bullied at school. You hear about it all the time, but you don't realize it's happing to someone close to you until it's too late. I learned that the hard way. There were warning signs I guess, but I must have ignored them, either that or I didn't want them to be true. He was my best friend, and I didn't even know he was in trouble. And because of that, not just his blood but the blood of fourteen victims, and six injured people is all on me."_

 _"I'm so sorry, that's horrible," Ayuka replied._

 _Takuya sighed. "Your parents are right about one thing, talking about it does help. A counselor I saw before I transferred here told me the same thing. So listen, if you ever want to talk some more about Benzo or anything at all. I'll be there to listen and comfort you, if you want that is."_

 _Ayuka smiled and giggled. "Thanks, I'd like that very much. And it's the same for me, if you ever want to talk some more about your friend, I'd be willing to listen too."_

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Ayuka smiled. "In that case, I'll take you up on your offer. I'd love to have you help me, Miyazaki-kun."_

 _"Still with Miyazaki? We're friends now, right? Just call me Takuya," said Takuya._

 _Ayuka's eyes widened. "Friends? You want to be friends? Are you sure?"_

 _Takuya nodded. "Definitely, only friends would act as shoulders you can cry on, right?"_

 _Ayuka giggled. "Your reasoning is weird, but I agree. Okay then, Takuya, I want you to just call me by my first name as well."_

 _"Alright then, so where do you want me, Ayuka?" Takuya asked._

 _"Well before you and your cousin came in here, I was working on polishing and cleaning the instruments, so I haven't even started cleaning the room itself. There are some cleaning supplies in the back room over there, could you grab the duster and start doing that?" Ayuka asked._

 _"No problem, let me know if you need anything else," Takuya replied. Then he got up from the piano bench and ran over to the backroom._

 _Ayuka smiled. "Friends, huh?" she muttered to herself._

* * *

When she was almost killed by Death.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Death chuckled. "You can't fool me, girl. I am Death, a force of nature incarnate. I can smell the fear that your body's putting off. You're so caked in the stench that I can practically taste it." Death held up his sickle in a threatening manner. "That's good. Fear me more. I want you to be afraid of me."_

 _"Stop! Don't move!" Ayuka shouted. "I'm warning you for the last time!"_

 _"Enough of these games, girl. I already said that you can't fool Death. Your harsh words are merely that…words. There is no power behind them. You know deep down that I'm going to kill you and your friend right here and now, I know you know this for certain, I can tell you're very smart. And yet, there's something else about you that catches my eye." Death nodded. "Ah, yes that's it. I sense it very clearly now. Beneath your overwhelming fear lies a small amount of relief. You want this to be over soon, very soon. Could it be? Do you really want to die, girl?"_

 _"…" Ayuka's eyes widened in surprise._

 _"Interesting, very interesting. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you, girl. A person who wants to die but is still fighting to live?" Death chuckled. "You must have done something truly horrible to be torturing yourself like this. Won't you tell me what your sins are before I grant you your wish and end your suffering?" Death asked._

 _Ayuka looked like she was truly panicking at that point. She began to shake in fear and her hands started to tremble. It looked like she was losing her firm grasp on Takuya's scythe. '_ _Nee-chan please…_ _'A voice crept inside her head. She recognized that voice all too well, it was a voice that led to a bad memory for her. A memory that had haunted the poor girl for years now. Then a few moments later, Ayuka suddenly stopped in her tracks and dropped the scythe on the floor. She couldn't stop shaking and her eyes were wide with terror. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she kept repeating over and over to herself._

* * *

Her conversation with Yurika yesterday.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Ayuka glared at Yurika and then got up from her seated position. "So you admit it then? The girl you stole that composition from, that was Iwasaki-san, wasn't it?"_

 _Yurika looked down at the ground. "Yeah, it was. I stole the song she wrote."_

 _"…" Ayuka's eyes widened in shock. She knew the answer, but to hear it out loud was an entirely different thing._

 _Yurika scoffed. "But why do you even care, freak? This whole situation has nothing to do with you."_

 _Ayuka's glare deepened. "How can you say that? It has everything to do with me! It has everything to do with this club!" she suddenly exclaimed._

 _"…" Yurika was silent._

 _"How could you do such a thing?! It wasn't your piece to play! Iwasaki-san probably spent weeks working on it and then you just took it from her!" Ayuka shouted._

 _"It was one song, what's the big deal?" Yurika replied, trying to play off her actions as harmless. Even though she knew truthfully the damage they caused._

 _"What's the big deal?! Iwasaki-san is dead! She's dead! That's the big deal! Does that not register with you at all?!" Ayuka shouted._

 _"Of course it does!" Yurika shouted back. "I know she's dead! I know she's not coming back! And I know what I did was wrong! But…! But…!" Yurika looked down at the floor again. "I didn't have a choice. I was so excited when I found out that the performing arts school of my dreams was accepting early admissions. I thought for sure I would get in on my own merit, but as it turned out I needed to come up with my own composition to even be considered. I tried and I tried, but no matter how hard I worked I couldn't come up with anything even halfway decent to meet their standards. And then when I had given up all hope, I heard Iwasaki practicing the song she wrote in secret. It…It was so beautiful. It might've been the single most beautiful melody I had ever heard."_

 _"…" Ayuka was silent as Yurika explained._

 _"She told me that she was going to ask Michiko if she could perform it at the upcoming venue, and made me promise not to tell anyone about it until she was finished writing it. And then after another night of fruitless writing endeavors, I had a terrible thought. And before I even knew it, I was…digging up dirt on Iwasaki," Yurika explained._

 _"Dirt? What do you mean by dirt?" Ayuka asked._

 _"Iwasaki had problems, she wasn't really the perfect Little Miss Ray of Sunshine that she pretended to be in club practice. I found out a few of her dirty little secrets and I…I persuaded her to give me her song so I could pass it off as my own," Yurika explained._

 _"Persuaded?! You mean blackmailed!" Ayuka shouted._

 _"You want the ugly truth?! Fine! Yes, I blackmailed her! She was a hysterical crying mess after I was through with her! I'm not proud of it! But I needed that song!" Yurika shouted. "I didn't know she was going to kill herself over it! Never, in a million years, would it have crossed my mind! If I'd have known the consequences beforehand I never would've gone through with it! Okay?!" Yurika started to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Okay?!"_

 _Yurika started to sob uncontrollably, while Ayuka just stared at her in contempt. For a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was Yurika's incessant sobbing. And soon she calmed down and regained her composure. Then Ayuka immediately jumped on her. "Confess what you did. Confess to Endou-senpai, the entire club, the headmaster, the performing arts school you were planning on attending, and Iwasaki-san's family. They all need to hear what you did. They need to hear the truth."_

 _"The truth?!" Yurika shouted. "How does the truth help anybody in this situation?! Even if I tell everyone that I stole Iwasaki's song, it's not going to bring her back! What's done is done!"_

 _"But it is not done! Right now, Iwasaki-san's family is probably miserable! Wondering why their daughter up and decided to kill herself!" Ayuka exclaimed._

 _"You're making a bigger deal of this than it is!" Yurika shouted back. "How do you know that what I did was the only reason that Iwasaki killed herself?! I told you, she had skeletons in her closet! For all we know, what I did was miniscule compared to the other things she was going through!"_

 _"How do you know that?! You didn't know Iwasaki-san at all!" Ayuka shouted._

 _"Neither did you!" Yurika shouted back._

 _"…" Ayuka was stunned into silence._

 _"Don't act so fucking high and mighty! You didn't give a shit about her before yesterday! You don't give a shit about anyone in this club! And I'm willing to bet you don't give a shit about anyone else in the world either!" Yurika shouted._

 _"…" Ayuka didn't know how to respond._

 _"You don't care, so don't pretend like you do," Yurika replied. "I see the way you act, you never let anyone get close to you, you don't have any of sort of relationships at this school, do you?"_

 _"…" Ayuka still couldn't respond._

 _"You don't care about anyone, or anything. I don't know what your deal is, but that much is clear. There's too much angst and sorrow behind those eyes to give a single iota of a fuck about anyone else," Yurika replied._

* * *

And of course, her conversation with her mother earlier that day.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Akari sighed. "I heard about what happened to that girl in your club. The school already called to talk to us about it. Were you close with her?"_

 _Ayuka shook her head. "Not really."_

 _Akari smiled. "So that's what it is. Now that she's gone, you're regretting that you didn't take the chance to get to know her better."_

 _Ayuka was surprised. "How did you…?"_

 _Akari giggled. "Mother's intuition. It's my job to guess what's on your mind and know how you're feeling." Then she frowned. "Sweetie, from what I've heard about this girl, she was really something special. And I know that it doesn't seem right for anyone to…" Akari couldn't finish the thought. "Sometimes the hurt people feel inside is so great that it can swallow them whole. And when they're in that dark corner, it seems like there's no way out at all. But there is always hope, you have to remember that. The important thing to do, is let other people in. They can't help you if you don't tell them what's wrong. That poor girl wouldn't let anyone help her, and she felt like she had no other choice." Akari sighed. "In this day and age, that's just happening more and more often. It's horrible, but it's preventable. You just have to be willing to ask for help."_

 _"…" Ayuka looked down at her plate. She thought for a few moments about what she wanted to say, until finally she just thought she'd just cut straight to the chase. "Mom, do you think I'm suicidal?"_

 _Akari reached across the table and grabbed ahold of Ayuka's hands. "Ayuka, I'm not telling you this to be hurtful. I'm just worried about you. Your father and I are both worried. We hardly ever talk to you anymore. We barely know what's going on in your life. You never want to let us in. And when you do talk to us it's like you're in own little world. I can't stand leaving things like this. Please, just tell me what's really on your mind. I promise I won't judge you, I just want my daughter back."_

 _"…" Ayuka was silent for a little while. Then she finally sighed and admitted the truth. "I just didn't want to worry you, but I guess just hiding my feelings made you worry even more, huh? I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry." She was silent for a few moments as she organized her thoughts, and then she began to speak again. "The truth is, there are some days when I do feel like I've had enough. I do my best to keep up a brave face around you and dad, but those kinds of thoughts are always somewhere in the back of my head. Sometimes, I feel so alone. Like, there's no one else but me in the entire world. Nothing but empty darkness." Ayuka's eyes began to water. "It almost feels like I'm drowning in my own life. And I think it's all just too much, and I start to feel like maybe it would be better if I just ended it all. I find it harder and harder to just keep on living. Even today, I felt like I didn't want to even get up out of bed. I'm scared of what might happen if I just continue on like this."_

 _"How long have you felt like this?" Akari asked her daughter._

 _"You should know, mom. I started to feel this way for the same reason you and dad aren't hardly around anymore. For the same reason we stopped going out as a family. And for the same reason nobody can stand to touch our piano. I miss him, mom. I miss him so much." Akari got up from her seat and walked around to Ayuka, and then she pulled her into a hug. "Nothing's the same!" Ayuka cried into her mother's shoulder. "He should be here with us right now! It's not fair! It's not fair!"_

 _Akari rubbed her daughter's back. "I know, sweetie. I miss him too. Every single day I wake up hoping he'll be sitting at the table with you, smiling just like he always does. A parent should never have to outlive their child. You're right, it isn't fair." For a few more minutes, Ayuka just continued to cry and Akari continued to comfort her. Until finally, Ayuka pulled away and dried her eyes. "Do you feel better now, sweetie?"_

 _"I don't think I'll ever really feel better," Ayuka replied._

 _Akari sighed. "I know. Truth be told, I don't think I ever will either. But you know, Benzo wouldn't want to see us all acting so miserable for the rest of our lives. He would want us to be happy, in any way that we can. He would want us to live for him and experience what he never got the chance to experience." Akari smiled at Ayuka. "And I know for a fact that he definitely wouldn't want his big sister feeling this way."_

 _Ayuka nodded. "You're probably right." She sniffled and smiled. "Every time I would feel troubled or upset, he wouldn't stop bugging me until I was playing with him again. He knew just want to say to cheer me up." Ayuka looked up at her mother. "Thank you, mom. I feel a lot better now, for real."_

 _"No problem, sweetie. And remember, if you ever start feeling so bad again, don't hesitate to talk to me and your father. You're our little sunflower, and every time you feel unhappy, we feel unhappy. You're much more pretty when you're smiling. Never forget that. Okay?"_

* * *

Lastly, she thought about Takuya's final attempt to reach out to her.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Takuya sighed and turned back to look at Ayuka one more time. "Ayuka, I am your friend, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be looking out for you, nothing will ever change that. So remember, you don't have to go through everything alone. I want to help you, in any way I can. All you have to do is ask for my help."_

* * *

Ayuka started to cry again. "How?" she simply replied to the memory of Takuya in her head. "How can I ask for help, when I don't even know what I want to do?" Ayuka laid down on Benzo's old bed and cried into the pillow for a few minutes before her tears finally dried up. Then she turned on her side and stared at the bouquet of sunflowers that she had brought and placed in the nightstand flower vase. "What should I do?" she asked herself. Ayuka was deeply conflicted, part of her wanted to be strong for Takuya and her parents, but another part just wanted everything to end. Ayuka wanted to live, at least she thought she did. But she could still feel this tight knot of darkness and despair pressing down on her stomach. No matter what she did, and no matter how much she wished, this knot inside of her wouldn't disappear. It was as if she had contracted a horrible disease, which presented with symptoms of overwhelming depression and despair.

This disease had been growing in size for over the past two years, and it seemed like it had now completely infected Ayuka. And she knew that this disease's ultimate goal was to get her to do the unthinkable. "I just want it all to stop. I'm so tired. I'm so, so tired," she said to herself. She thought about Haruna Iwasaki. "This overwhelming darkness. This had to have been what she felt. But I don't want to die. I don't. I don't. I…I…I…" Ayuka simply stared at the sunflowers by her side. "I…want…to…live." Ayuka was exhausted, she couldn't think of anything else but sleep. She tried to close her eyes and get some rest. She wanted to forget her troubles, if only for a little while.

And then a calm voice suddenly whispered into Ayuka's ear. " _Is that really what you want?_ " And Ayuka's eyes immediately shot open.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, Night**

Takuya got back to the boys' dorm about a half hour after he and his cousin left the hospital. Takuya made sure to tell Fuyumi about his visit with Masahisa, and his encounter with Ayuka, as well as Ayuka's promise to return to school the next day. Fuyumi seemed relieved to hear the news, and promised to take Takuya to visit Masahisa again over the weekend. Upon returning to his room, Takuya got to work doing his homework and finishing anything else he needed to do in the mortal world that day before he could deal with anything Limbo related. When Shinichi and Ryuta returned, he knew he had to have a talk with them about what he experienced earlier that day. Later that night, the three Grim Reapers assembled in Takuya's room for their first official group meeting. Takuya sat on his bed, while Shinichi sat on his sleeping bag that was laid out on the floor, and Ryuta sat down in Takuya's desk swivel chair.

Ryuta cleared his throat and then began to speak in a very official-sounding voice. "Hear ye, hear ye, I hereby call the first official meeting of the Young Male Reaper Association together."

"That's a really stupid name," Shinichi replied with a sweatdrop.

"Oh like you could do any better, Casper," Ryuta replied condescendingly.

Shinichi grunted. "I'm getting sick of you two always calling me that."

"It's your own fault for looking like a freaking kids cartoon character in Limbo," Ryuta replied.

"Guys, knock it off. This is serious business," said Takuya.

"Sorry," both Ryuta and Shinichi replied.

"Good, now let's get right into it," Takuya replied, taking charge of the meeting. He turned to Shinichi. "Any sign of Endou-senpai today?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, she finally came back to school so I was able to resume my surveillance over her. I still haven't seen any clear threats against her yet though. But something seems a little off about her."

"How do you mean?" Ryuta asked.

"Well, she's not like her usual self," Shinichi tried his best to explain. "From what I observed of her in those first few days, she's a really kind, caring, and upbeat individual. But today she was different. She was quiet, aloof, and whenever anybody tried to talk to her she would just brush them off. Something's definitely wrong with her."

"I'll bet something happened in these past two days that triggered this personality change," Takuya replied. "But we have no way of knowing what without getting closer to her. Shinichi, did she talk to anyone at all today?"

"No one but that student teacher who's in your class," Shinichi replied.

"Who? Hirabayashi-san?" Takuya replied.

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah that squirrely-looking guy. I saw the two of them talking alone together at the end of school. They were talking about someone, but I couldn't find out who. Both of them seemed pretty upset though. Something's definitely going on there."

"Well at least it sounds like she's still not in any immediate danger," Takuya replied. "That's some good news at least."

"I'm not so sure that about that," Ryuta replied. "There's something I need to tell you guys. I saw her too."

"You saw her too?" Takuya repeated Ryuta's words in confusion.

"Remember those omen things you guys told me about yesterday? How they let you see people who are about to die? Well while I was working at Yoshiaki's today, I saw one. And it was, Endou-senpai, no doubt about.

"…!" Takuya and Shinichi were both shocked to hear this information.

"You saw her at the daycare?!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Wait, how is that even possible?" Takuya asked. "Shinichi, I thought you said that omens only appear near where the person in them is supposed to die. Yoshiaki's is in Shibuya, that's a fairly good distance away from the diner in Akihabara where we saw her the first time."

"I'm just as shocked about this as you," Shinichi replied. "This has never happened before. If she can appear in two separate wards of Tokyo, who's to say she can't appear in them all? Maybe she can even appear in places further than that."

"But what does that mean?" Ryuta replied. "I swear; I'm not making this up. She looked just like Endou-senpai. She was hanging from a noose just like you guys described, and she even said the same things to me that she said to you."

"It was definitely her then," Shinichi replied. "But I still have no idea how this could happen." Shinichi sighed in defeat. "When it comes down to it, there's still so much about Limbo that the three of us don't know. I didn't even find out about Shadows and Personas until just a few days ago. And I get the feeling that we haven't even scratched the surface yet."

Ryuta crossed his arms. "Man, if the fate of the world wasn't seriously at stake, I would say this is all getting really creepy and cool," he replied in a jokey manner.

"Speaking of creepy, something happened to me today while I was at the hospital," Takuya replied.

"Like what?" Shinichi asked.

"Well, after I finished my visit with Oikawa, I ran into Ayuka. She ended up taking me to the hospital room where her brother passed away," Takuya explained. "We talked a little bit and then I was about to leave, but before I did, I turned back around and said one last thing to her. And that's when it happened. I saw a butterfly."

"A butterfly?" Ryuta repeated in confusion. "Well it is kind of strange to see one inside of a hospital room, but I don't see how it falls into our realm of strange. It probably just got in through an open window or something."

"No, this butterfly was definitely within our realm of strange. It was all black, and it started hovering around Ayuka's head, and it even perched on her shoulder, but it was like she wasn't even aware of it. I stared at it and I got this really bad feeling from it. It felt cold, dark, and malicious. And then Ayuka said something really weird. My eyes changed color. They looked just like they do in Limbo," Takuya replied.

"Wait, you became a Grim Reaper in the mortal world?" Shinichi asked in confusion.

Takuya shook his head. "No I didn't feel like I usually do in Limbo, and Ayuka didn't say anything about me wearing my outfit or holding my scythe. All she said was that my eyes were red and glowing."

"Those are definitely Reaper eyes then," Ryuta replied. Then Ryuta's facial expression changed. "Wait, Reaper eyes." Then he gasped. "Wait a second! Takuya, I think you've finally awoken your eyes!"

"Awoken my eyes?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"Remember, what you told me yesterday?" Ryuta replied.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _"So we're really Grim Reapers? Gods of Death? That's us?" Ryuta asked._

 _Takuya nodded. "As far as I can tell. Apparently we're supposed to replace this omnipotent being, the one true Grim Reaper, who's vanished along with others blessed with its power over life and death. Though I don't know how far our powers reach yet, from what I can tell we don't have access to them outside of Limbo at least."_

 _"And according to this other Reaper you met, we all have different powers inside of our eyes?" Ryuta asked._

 _"That's what she told me at least. She had the Eyes of the Rabbit, which gave her extraordinary sensory and instinct skills," Takuya replied._

 _"Well then, what can your eyes do?" Ryuta asked._

 _"I…I don't know. I guess I haven't figured it out yet. I think it takes time to truly master your powers, must be why we were also given Personas to help us fight the Shadows," Takuya replied._

* * *

"…!" Takuya finally realized what Ryuta meant. "My eyes changed color and then I saw the black butterfly. Of course, that must be the power of my Reaper eyes." Then a phrase suddenly appeared in Takuya's mind. "The Eyes of Endings," he suddenly said.

"Whoa, dude how did you know that's what your eyes are called?!" Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief.

"I…I don't know. It was just like, the words were suddenly there in my head," Takuya replied. "It was like when I called Zenbyou for the first time. I just knew."

"I believe that, the same thing happened to me after all," Shinichi replied.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, I did know how to control Kuebiko pretty easily," Ryuta added. "I felt like I had been doing it for years."

"Come to think of it, we've never questioned how we seem to know all these things without having any real helpful knowledge of Limbo at all," Shinichi replied. Then he sighed again. "There's just no end to the amount of questions that place raises."

"Well we're definitely not going to find the answers to those questions tonight," Ryuta replied. And then he yawned. "I'm getting a little tired. I think I'll go ahead and crash early tonight. But before I head back to my room, I've got to ask. Takuya…" Ryuta smirked. "You didn't take advantage of the mourning Yamasato-san when you were alone with her, did you?"

"…" Takuya picked up a pillow on his bed and threw it at Ryuta's head without another word.

"Ow, okay, okay. Sheesh, someone's touchy," Ryuta replied. Then he picked up the pillow and threw it back at Takuya. "Seriously though, isn't it a little dangerous for her to know all about this stuff?"

"Ayuka's not going to tell anyone, I trust her to keep our secret," Takuya replied.

Ryuta shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, Yamasato-san knows all about Limbo just like the rest of us. Which means she might be in danger. From Shadows, these other Reapers, or even…" Ryuta frowned, "…that thing that dragged me into Limbo before."

"…" Takuya and Shinichi couldn't say anything. They knew Ryuta was right. Ayuka was mortal after all, which meant that Limbo was filled with dangers for her. As long as she stayed connected to them, there was always a chance she could be dragged into their problems again.

"I won't let that happen," Takuya suddenly replied. He got up off his bed and looked Ryuta straight in the eyes. "As long as I'm around, I'll protect her, Endou-senpai, and anyone else who gets involved with all this crazy shit. Ayuka is not going to get hurt again. Not on my watch."

Ryuta smiled. "Alright then, I'll help you in any way I can. That's a promise. After all, don't forget you're my friend too. I won't let you down." Then Ryuta turned to leave Takuya's room. "Night guys, talk to you tomorrow," said Ryuta, before he opened and then closed the door behind him.

Shinichi turned to face Takuya. "That goes for me too, Takuya. All three of us are in this together."

"Thanks, man," Takuya replied to the ghost.

"Don't mention it," Shinichi replied.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, Night**

Meanwhile, a certain person was furiously typing away at the keyboard of their personal desktop computer. The bright light of the computer monitor's screen was the only thing that illuminated the dimly lit room in which they worked. The person was heavily focused on what they were writing, it appeared to be an entry on a blog, and from the looks of it, this was a fairly detailed entry. This went on for several more minutes until they finally finished typing their entry. The last line they wrote was the signature closing line: _You have just been unmasked by the one and only Gentleman Mask_. Then the person behind the keyboard scrolled up the webpage to the very top of the blog entry, and then they posted a photo of the subject of the new blog entry. The photo was a school profile photo of a very familiar girl. Ayuka Yamasato. Then the person behind the keyboard scrolled back down to the bottom of the webpage and posted the new entry to their blog. Then they refreshed the webpage and were brought to the home screen of the blog. A large logo featuring a pair of comedy and tragedy masks appeared on the screen, and under the masks was the name of the blog: _Yousha Unmasked_. The person behind the keyboard simply smirked at their handiwork.

* * *

 **Wednesday, 4/15 20XX, Midnight**

Takuya and Shinichi were both fast asleep in their shared room. When all of a sudden, an icy chill suddenly ran through the room. Takuya shivered and chattered his teeth, and then he tried to wrap his sheets and comforter tightly around him to block out the cold. Only that didn't help at all, instead it grew even colder inside the room, until Takuya jumped up to a sitting stance on his bed. He rubbed his arms up and down his body. "What the hell?! It's like the inside of a freezer in here!" Takuya exclaimed. He breathed out and noticed that his breath had turned ice cold. Then Takuya's eyes went wide. "Oh no! Don't tell me!" Mere moments later, his suspicions were confirmed. A horrible, unsettling gasp for breath echoed in the air. The gasps started to get more frequent and raspier with each passing moment, until finally, _she_ appeared.

A girl with long, orangeish-brown hair, who wore a ladybug shaped barrette. She was wearing a very familiar school uniform. And the blazer of said had an emblem of angel on it. Her skin was pale blue, and her eyes were bloodshot. This was of course, the dying girl that he seen just a few days ago, Michiko Endou. Her hanging body swung haphazardly from the ceiling of the room.

It was at that point that Shinichi began to stir. "T-Takuya? Wh-What's going…?" Shinichi was sleepy at first, but he soon became wide awake when he saw the sight in front of him. "The Prez!"

Omen Michiko began to plead for help just as the boys had seen her do a few days before. "Help…me. Help...me."

"Shinichi, what do we do?!" Takuya exclaimed.

"There's nothing we can do, remember?! She's not dead yet! This is just showing us what's to come!" Shinichi exclaimed.

"Please…help…me. Please…help…me," Omen Michiko kept whispering.

"…" Takuya and Shinichi silently watched the spectacle in horror.

"Rei-…suke," Omen Michiko uttered a name. Then she began to gargle; she was most likely choking from the stress of the rope noose against her windpipe. And her eyes were starting to shut. "Rei-…suke…I'm…sorry…" And then her eyes closed completely. Omen Michiko was dead once again. Then a few moments later, she disappeared once again.

"That was the second time I had to watch all of that. I don't know if I can take a third," said Takuya.

"It's an omen for a reason, it's not meant to be taken lightly," Shinichi replied. Then he sighed. "Look let's just try to get some sleep for now. We'll talk about this more in the morning, okay?"

"…" Takuya remained silent.

"Takuya?" Shinichi called out to his friend in concern.

"Reisuke," Takuya muttered the name that Omen Michiko spoke. "Reisuke, I know I've heard that name somewhere else before, but where?" he asked himself. He thought about it for a few moments and then his eyes went wide. "…!"

"What is it?" Shinichi asked. "Did you figure it out?"

"You said earlier that Endou-senpai was talking to Hirabayashi-san after school today, right?" Takuya asked Shinichi.

"Yeah, they looked like they were arguing over someone. What's the big deal?" Shinichi replied.

"The big deal is that Hirabayashi-san's full name is Reisuke Hirabayashi," Takuya replied.

Shinichi's eyes widened as well. "N-No way!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "So are you saying that…?"

Takuya cut off Shinichi. "Hirabayashi-san is Endou-senpai's killer? Yeah, he just might be."

* * *

A/N: It seems the being hidden within the darkness has returned once more. Their next pawn shall be the broken-hearted pianist. Will our hero and his newfound allies be able to rescue her as well? And what of this new lead in the coming tragedy that has been revealed? Is the man who is loved by the doomed girl really destined to kill her? Stay tuned to find out.


	26. Chapter XXIII

A/N: A suspect in the murder of the girl destined to die has been revealed. But are things as they appear to be? Or is there something larger at play here? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

* * *

 **Chapter XXIII: The destiny of death**

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Early Morning**

The next morning before classes started, Takuya and Shinichi called Ryuta to their room to tell him about what happened late last night. "You saw her again?!" Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief.

Takuya nodded. "She was hanging from the ceiling, about right where you're standing actually."

Ryuta quickly sidestepped from his current position. "So now that she's appeared here, does that mean Endou-senpai might die at the school?"

"It's a possibility, but omens are unpredictable. I just thought that they appeared around where that person shown in them is destined to die, but as of now we know that her omen has appeared in three different places, all a fair distance away from each other. I just don't know what this means," Shinichi replied.

"…" Takuya thought about it for a second and then he came up with an idea. "Wait, if you think about it logically. There's a common denominator between each place we saw her omen at."

"Really? What?" Ryuta replied in a confused tone.

"Us," Takuya replied. "Think about it. Shinichi and I were at the diner, Ryuta, you were at the daycare, and then Shinichi and I were in our room together. What if it doesn't matter what the location is?"

Shinichi caught onto what Takuya was saying. "The omen will appear anywhere that we are. It's a warning specifically for us."

Takuya nodded. "That seems like the only logical explanation," he replied.

"Wait, hang on. If that's true, then why has it been so long since you guys have seen the omen?" Ryuta asked. "Wouldn't the omen have appeared anywhere where you were? Why hadn't you guys seen her again until last night?"

"Huh, that's a good question," Takuya replied.

Shinichi thought about it for a moment and then his eyes went wide. "…! What if the omen can only appear in one place at a time? We couldn't see it, because it was appearing somewhere else at the time."

"But why would it appear anywhere else? We're the only ones who can see it, right?" Ryuta asked.

"No, you're forgetting, Takuya and I weren't the very first Reapers to appear," Shinichi replied.

"…! That's right, I forgot. Besides the three of us, there are at least seven more Reapers out there," Takuya added. "So you think the reason we didn't see it at the time was because it was appearing to the other Reapers?"

"If the omen is meant to be a warning for us, it makes sense that it's meant to be a warning for them too," Shinichi replied.

"So now that it's appeared to every Reaper at least once, it looped back around to you guys," said Ryuta. "Could its behavior really be so simple?"

"I can't think of any other reason that would make sense," Takuya replied. "That has to be it. Which means it's probably going to appear to those other Reapers again and you too, and then it will be back to us. And it will probably continue doing that until…" Takuya couldn't finish that thought.

"Until…" Ryuta couldn't finish it either.

"…" Shinichi shook his head. "It's not going to come to that. I used to think that trying to save those people was hopeless. You can't really do anything when no one can see you after all. But Takuya, you've proven me wrong. You saved both me and Ryuta from being swallowed by the darkness. We're going to save the Prez too, don't worry."

Takuya nodded. "Right," he said in an unsure tone. 'Still though…' Takuya thought to himself. Reisuke Hirabayashi, the student-teacher he had met just a few short days ago, entered his mind. 'Could Endou-senpai really have been talking about him?'

"There's something else we should probably tell you too," Shinichi said to Ryuta. "We have a pretty good idea of who the Prez's killer is. He's this student-teacher that's been shadowing Takuya's class for the past couple of days. His name is Reisuke Hirabayashi."

"…!" Ryuta's eyes widened. "Reisuke?" Ryuta thought back to the sight he had seen yesterday while he was working at Yoshiaki's Daycare. It was the first time he had come face to face with an omen. "Endou-senpai definitely said the name Reisuke, before she died. Every word she whispered out is permanently engraved in my head now." Ryuta sighed. "If I hadn't already seen someone die before, I don't know how I would have been able to cope with it. Innocence is something you don't really miss until it's gone, huh?" Then Ryuta shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. "Anyway, this guy seems like our number one suspect. What should we do now?"

"Well I'll keep an eye on the Prez today like I usually do," Shinichi replied. "And it's probably best if you two keep an eye on Hirabayashi-san."

Ryuta nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. You cool with that Takuya?"

"…" Takuya didn't respond; he was still deep in thought.

"Takuya?" Ryuta called out again.

This time, Takuya responded. "Oh…umm, sorry. My head was somewhere else. Yeah that's fine. I'll be able to keep an eye on Hirabayashi-san during classes. Then you and I can meetup afterschool to monitor him together."

"What about during lunch?" Ryuta asked.

"You might have to take that one solo, I kind of already have plans with Ayuka," Takuya replied.

"Oh another date already?" Ryuta replied in a playful tone.

"It's not a date, we're just having lunch together," Takuya replied in an embarrassed tone.

Ryuta chuckled. "A lunch date is still a date."

"Whatever. If need be, I can cancel and help you out instead. Ayuka will understand," Takuya replied.

Ryuta shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. You're pretty much covering him by yourself for the rest of day, I can spare an hour of solo surveillance. You kids have fun."

Takuya sighed. "Fine, just call me if you find out anything."

"Can do," Ryuta replied.

"I don't think there's anything left to report, so you two should probably get to class. It's almost eight," Shinichi replied. "What say I meet you guys afterschool so we can discuss our findings?"

"Sounds good," Takuya replied.

"Got it," Ryuta replied.

"Alright then, meeting adjourned," Shinichi replied. Then the boys went their separate ways as they began the day.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Early Morning**

Meanwhile, in a certain dorm room on the second-year floor of the girls' dorm, another meeting was being held. Three students were gathered around a desktop computer that sat in the corner of the room. The three students in question were Ikumi Komaeda, Gabe Gonçalves, and James Guzman. The same students who have been revealed to be other Grim Reapers who are hiding within the shadows of Yousha Academy. Ikumi sat at her desk swivel chair while Gabe and James stood on either side of her. Gabe and James were dressed in their respective school uniforms, while Ikumi was dressed sloppily in a pink t-shirt with a rabbit decal on it, and a pair of sweat pants. All three of them were staring at the computer screen and were conversing through video chat with three other people, each of which were in different locations based upon the three individual tabs they occupied. Their faces could not be made out due to the dimly lit locations each of them seemed to occupy, but two of them seemed to be male, and the other one seemed to be female.

"So this _Sin Eater_ that you met the other day appears to have been very busy," said the person in the center tab. "Two other Shadows have gone berserk and he managed to defeat them in no time at all."

"Not only that," said the person in the left tab. "I sensed a few new people in Limbo earlier, it looks like he's starting to assemble his own little group as well. They had some particularly strong Personas for beginners."

"Sin-kun is definitely amazing. Even if I had to help him defeat his own Shadow, he showed amazing control of his abilities." Ikumi replied. Then she giggled. "And it shows, he's managed to beat two more Berserk Shadows in just a few days."

"You still have no information on him? If he's as strong as you say he is, then he'd be a welcome addition to the team," said the person in the center tab.

Gabe shook his head. "Rabbit was the only one who had any direct contact with him. I only managed to converse with a girl who was in Limbo with him at the time."

"It's highly unusual for people without potential to wander into Limbo without being brought to a Haunt," said the person in the left tab. "He must have brought her along with him when he wandered in. I wonder if she possesses one of the other two Personas I sensed. She could have awakened just a little while after him."

"She didn't give any sign of having potential when I ran into her," Gabe replied. "She was completely defenseless against the guy that stabbed Rabbit."

Ikumi growled. "I still can't believe I let that guy get the jump on me. If I was facing him head on I swear I would've…"

"Been in the exact same position," said the person in the center tab. "This other Reaper you two told me about, _Death_ , he is not one to be underestimated. He has made that very clear from his actions. He's somehow stayed hidden from us for all this time. Even Mary with her incredible sight did not notice his coming and goings at all."

"How do you explain that anyway? Aren't your eyes supposed to give you clairvoyance or some shit?" James asked the person in the left tab, named Mary.

"It's not clairvoyance, you Neanderthal. I can't see the future. Think of my eyes as security cameras for Limbo. If anything out of the ordinary occurs there, my eyes activate and I can see what's going on as if I'm there in person," Mary replied.

James scoffed. "Neanderthal, am I? If I were you, I'd watch that sharp tongue of yours, bitch. You never know. Someone might come along and cut it out of your mouth," he replied in a dark tone.

"Always quick to anger, eh Blacky? That nasty attitude of yours, it's really quite tacky," said the person in the right tab, in a rather playful manner.

"It's Blackened, you rhyming freak," James replied.

The person in the right tab chuckled in reply. "Temper, temper, I should say. Believe you me, that hot bloodedness of yours will do you in one day. And I'll be laughing from up above as you lie back in your early grave. So if you want to avoid this fate, I suggest you behave."

James grunted. "Damn you."

"Now, now. Play nice you two," Ikumi replied. "Blackened-kun, Raven-senpai may be…eccentric, but let's not forget that he's one our strongest Persona-users and our senpai, so he deserves our respect." She playfully smiled at James. "Plus, let's not forget what happened the last time you got angry and challenged him to a fight."

James gasped and then immediately turned white as a sheet. Then he bowed in a respectful manner. "I…I'm sorry, Raven. You're right I should keep better control of my anger."

Raven chuckled. "That's more like it. Now Blacky, be a good doggie and sit."

"One of these days, I will fucking kill you, you freak," James muttered under his breath.

"Ahem. If we could get back to our current discussion," the person in the center tab interjected. "That would be really great."

"…" everyone went silent.

"Good, now then. As I was saying, Sin Eater shows great promise. He could be a worthy addition to our group, and if the others that he recruiting are just as capable as him, then even better. We need all the support we can get if we wish to accomplish our goal," the person in the center tab explained. "Even more now, now that this new adversary has reared his head. This Death, are you sure he was not connected to the Man with the Pocket Watch?"

"We seriously need to come up with a better name for him, if he's our main bad," Ikumi interjected.

Gabe ignored Ikumi and then answered. "No, he said as much. And it didn't appear to me that he had any reason to lie. All he said was that he wanted to get rid of us, so he could be the only Reaper in Limbo. He actually wants to become Death itself."

"It sounds to me like he's just insane," Mary replied.

"Insane or not, from what I hear of Rabbit and Revenant's encounter with him, he was highly skilled and appeared to know a great deal about the inner workings of Limbo. Even with all the exploring we've done so far, we still haven't discovered Limbo's hidden secrets. Why does it exist? Why are the souls of people who should pass on, getting trapped there? What is the significance of Shadows and Personas for that matter? What does the Man with the Pocket Watch have to do with it? And most important of all, how do we repair the balance and save the world?"

"…" none of the others had any response.

"Death, he is truly an enigma. If possible we should reach out to him as well, he might have some useful information for us," the person in the center tab replied.

"Actually about that. I gave him your card, Boss. He knew about you because he apparently heard us refer to you by name in Limbo on more than one occasion. I told him that if he called you, he could get in touch with you in the living world. If you ask me, I think he's planning to call you out to kill you," Gabe replied.

"I see. Well if it's a fight that he wants, then it's a fight he'll get," Prospero replied.

"…! Nobu…umm, I mean Prospero are you seriously planning on fighting that psychopath?!" Mary exclaimed. "We know next to nothing about this guy! Who knows how dangerous he really is?!"

"I'll fight him if I must, but don't worry. I don't intend to die. At least not until we finish what we started." Prospero replied. Then he sighed. "And not until I find the answer that I want the most."

"…" Mary was silent.

"Anyway, I suggest for now we do some more digging into Sin Eater and those around him, and try and find out their true identities. As I've said before, it would be a good idea to have them join us. Their aid may prove beneficial in the future," said Prospero.

"Leave it to us, odds are they attend Yousha as well," Gabe replied.

"Very well, we'll leave the search in your capable hands. Now if there's nothing else to report, I guess we'll end today's meeting and make plans to meet each other later and patrol Limbo over the weekend," Prospero replied.

"Actually, I have one more thing to add, Prospero," said Mary.

"What is it?" Prospero asked.

"It's about this girl that was with Sin Eater. I didn't think anything of it until Revenant mentioned her before, but…" Mary spoke directly to Gabe. "Revenant, this girl you saw. How would you describe her?"

"Describe her?" Gabe repeated in confusion. "Umm, I guess average height, average build. She had pasty skin, oh...and she had this really striking red hair."

"Would you say it was a reddish-brown? Like auburn?" Mary asked.

"…!" Gabe's eyes widened. "Yeah exactly, have you seen her?"

"It appears that yesterday, our mysterious friend decided that this girl in question did have the potential, and dragged her into Limbo to test her merits," Mary explained. "And two days before that a boy was brought there as well. I assume he has become one of the new Reapers in question."

"I see, so Sin Eater is slowly forming his own group. If that's the case, maybe we won't need to work as hard to save anyone who wanders in there. Let us leave this girl to Sin Eater as well, consider it our own test. If he manages to beat four Berserk Shadows in the course of a week. That will truly prove an amazing feat," Prospero replied.

'That girl,' Gabe thought to himself. 'I hope she's okay.'

"Is there anything else?" Prospero asked.

"Umm, if it's not too much trouble. I'd like to say something," Ikumi replied.

"Hmm?" Prospero replied in confusion. "Yes? Go on, Rabbit."

"It's about that omen," Ikumi replied.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Rabbit," Mary replied. "We've seen dozens of omens so far."

"The latest one. The one of that school girl who's going to die due to a hanging," Ikumi replied. "The first time I saw her I thought I recognized her, but now I'm sure of it." Ikumi frowned and continued. "She goes to our school too. All three of us know her. Her name is Michiko Endou, she's the Student Council President."

"I…I see. It's a small world, huh?" Mary replied in a concerned tone.

"I-Ikumi we already talked about this, remember? We agreed we wouldn't say anything," Gabe whispered to Ikumi.

"…" James was silent.

"I know what you're going to ask, Rabbit, and I know you already know the answer. We can't do anything," Prospero replied. "You all know as well as I do that it's hopeless to try and save them. I myself tried God knows how many times to save one person when I first became a Reaper. I still remember her even now; she was our age too. She had her whole life ahead of her. And I couldn't take knowing that she was going to die, so I tried over and over to prevent her death. Each death that was shown in the omen, I managed to prevent in one way or another. But it never stopped. Every time I prevented one possible death, another popped up to take its place. It was like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. And of course, I couldn't prevent every single outcome, so she eventually died just as she was intended to."

"…" everyone went silent.

"This universe we inhabit is a very cruel place; unforgiving, uncaring, unswayed by any concern anyone has. If it wants something, then it gets it. And for whatever reason, it wanted that girl dead so it killed her without hesitation. It corrects itself so no matter what we do, no matter which path we choose, it keeps us moving forward to the destiny that it has in store for each and every one of us. It's not fair, but that's just the way it is. Death is driven by fate, and nothing can stop fate," Prospero replied.

"I'm afraid, that is the destiny of death," Raven relied. "All we can do now, is sit back and watch as that poor girl breathes her last breath."

"But it's different when it's someone you know, someone you talked to, someone you'll always remember," Ikumi replied.

"I know…believe me I know that better than anyone," Mary replied. "But you can't prevent it, no matter what you do. This Michiko girl, she's going to die. We can't stop that from happening. It's just like Prospero said, even if we prevented this death, another possible death will just appear to take its place. I know that's not what you want to hear, but…"

"It's okay." Ikumi frowned. "I…I understand. I knew it was meaningless to try and ask anyway."

"Rabbit," Prospero called out to Ikumi. "I know it's hard, but we have to keep moving forward. It's our responsibility, no one can do it but us. For whatever reason, the universe chose us to receive this power. We have to stay strong and stick to our mission. Can you do that?"

Ikumi looked up at the computer screen and nodded. "I'll try."

"Good, now I think that's it. If there are any updates on your end with the search for Sin Eater, message me immediately. If not, I'll talk to you all again this weekend," Prospero replied. Then he turned off his computer and his video tab closed.

"I must bid adieu as well, my fellow compatriots and our sweet little White Rabbit Miss. Until we next meet, allow me to leave you with this," said Raven. He cleared his throat and then he began to recite a haiku:

 _We all die someday._

 _Death is only the beginning._

 _Do not be afraid._

"Farewell," Raven said before turning off his computer as well and closing his video tab.

"Goodbye, you three. I wish you luck in your search. Feel free to message me if you need my assistance," Mary said before doing the same.

"Geez, I freaking hate that guy," James muttered when the other three were gone. "I swear to God if I got the chance I would end that rhyming bastard." He enunciated his point by punching his left hand with his right fist.

"Like Ikumi said, he wiped the floor with you the last time you tried to do that," Gabe replied. "I agree with you, his constant rhyming is annoying but he's a trustworthy ally, so we just have to indulge his quirk. It's for the same reason that we put up with your bad attitude."

"Quirks, eh?" James replied. "So it's a quirk that causes you to use that lame cowboy lingo when you wear that stupid costume of yours?"

Gabe seemed embarrassed. "Sh-Shut up!"

"Be nice James-kun. Why can't you act friendly with us like you do around everyone else?" Ikumi asked.

"The key word is _act_. I don't give a shit about you guys or anyone for that matter. I just act like that around others because it makes things easier for me in the long run. When people think they know you, they begin to let their true selves show. They start to trust you, and confide in you, and pretty soon you know all their dark little secrets." James smiled. "And if people really like you, then you can get them to do almost anything you want. Just a little charisma and smooth-talking is all you need to make the world revolve around you. But I don't need to waste my time acting for you two worms. You and the others already know about my dark side. All the anger and hatred I keep tightly bottled up began to leak out the first time I awakened to my Persona."

"So you only act nice to others if there's something in it for you?" Ikumi asked out of curiosity.

"I don't understand the question. Was I not clear?" James replied.

"Spoken like a true sociopath," Gabe replied.

James scoffed. "Call me what you want. That's the way the world works. Nobody does anything for anyone else without expecting something in return. I'm doing this stupid Reaper shit for the same reason," James replied. Then he began to walk towards the door so he could leave the room.

"And what reason is that?" Ikumi asked.

James looked back at them and simply replied, "Power. And nothing but." Then he opened the door and closed it behind him.

Gabe sighed. "He's a real charmer. I bet if everyone in class knew what he was really like, they'd be shocked beyond words." Gabe looked down at Ikumi. "Me and him transferred in at the same time, remember? And now he's Mr. Popularity, and people can barely remember my name."

Ikumi giggled. "In all fairness, Gabe-kun. Your last name is kind of hard to say. I can still barely pronounce it."

Gabe rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess it would be tough for Japanese people to pronounce. Maybe that's the real reason why nobody can remember it?" Then he sighed. "Anyway, it's almost eight. I should probably get going. I know I shouldn't even bother asking, but are you coming today?"

"I already told you, I've memorized the minimum number of days I have to attend classes in order to graduate. What's the point of going every single day if I don't have to?"

"To make friends? Join clubs? Or just to get out of your room every now and then?" Gabe replied.

Ikumi began to laugh hysterically. "You're a riot. Have fun getting bored. I'll be here doing things that actually matter." Then she wiped away a fake tear from her eye and turned back to her computer in order to begin her daily routine.

Gabe sighed. "Why do I even hang out with you?"

"Because I'm the only one who ever talks to you or even bothers to remember your name," Ikumi replied without looking away from her computer screen.

"Shitty NEET," Gabe muttered under his breath. Then he walked out of Ikumi's room and followed after James.

"Don't forget to bring me printouts of today's lessons!" Ikumi shouted after him.

"Yeah, yeah," Gabe replied nonchalantly as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Morning**

For Homeroom that day, Mr. Gasai decided to step down from teaching and give Hirabayashi a chance to practice what he had observed in the few days since he began his student-teacher internship. Hirabayashi was currently, nervously going over the lecture notes that Mr. Gasai gave him. Trying to be as eloquent and knowledgeable as he could possibly be on the subject, considering Japanese History was not his forte. "Okay class, turn to page…umm…oh! 208!" Then he cleared his throat and tried to sound a bit more serious. "Please, turn to page number 208." Then he turned to face the chalk board and began writing down the key points that Mr. Gasai had specified in the "cheat sheet" that he gave Hirabayashi. Every now and then, Hirabayashi reflexively shifted his gaze towards Mr. Gasai, who was currently sitting in the chair that Hirabayashi himself had been sitting in for the past few days. Then Mr. Gasai would motion for Hirabayashi to look to the class, and not to him.

Takuya kept his eyes solely focused on Hirabayashi. After the events of this morning, Takuya and the others agreed that they should keep a close eye on Hirabayashi, as Michiko's omen had mentioned him in her final words. There was a good chance he was Michiko's future killer. But Takuya couldn't help but feel skeptical about the whole thing. 'The way he talks; the way he acts…' Takuya thought about the words that Hirabayashi had first said to his class when he started shadowing it just a few days ago.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Then Hirabayashi put the chalk down and turned back to face the class. "And for the next few months, you can all consider me your second teacher for this class. But other than that, I want you all to also consider me as your friend. Because I want to learn everything about each and every one of you. I want to help you learn and also be there to give you guidance when you need it." He chuckled. "I know what you guys are probably thinking right now. Who does this guy think he is? He's only a few years older than us and he's treating us like we're kids. Well the fact of the matter is, you guys are still kids. And at this age especially, you're all the more impressionable. Right about now is the time where you start to carefully consider your futures and careers, what you want to do with the rest of your life once school is over. And when it comes to that, most of you don't have a clue. Am I right? It's okay to admit it, heck I was the same way not too long ago. But you know what finally set me on the path that I'm on right now? A really awesome teacher, my Homeroom teacher from when I went here to be exact. He wasn't only smart but he was funny, charming, and wiser than anyone could possibly be at his age. Now obviously, I'm nothing like him. But I want to be. He made school a joy to me and so many others, and anytime any of us had a problem, be it academic or otherwise he would always take the time to listen and give us advice. He was without a doubt, the best teacher in the world."_

 _Hirabayashi sighed. "But I'm rambling, the point is I wanted to be just like him. Heck I wanted to be even better than him, so that's my current goal. And hopefully, if this all works out you guys will be one of many classes that I teach in the near future. So please remember, if you ever feel like talking about anything, I'm there. Let's all have a great semester together. That's all I wanted to say, thank you guys for listening."_

* * *

'The way he feels. Nothing about him screams _killer_ to me,' Takuya thought to himself. 'There has to be some mistake. Maybe we interpreted the omen wrong.' Then he thought about the omen that he had witnessed again last night, it was still fresh in his mind. 'But someone definitely killed Endou-senpai, and the last thing she said was " _Reisuke, I'm sorry_ ".' Then Takuya sighed. 'I don't know what to think.'

Kyou took notice of Takuya's troubled state. "Psst, hey Takuya? Are you feeling okay? You've been awfully quiet all morning long," he whispered to his desk neighbor.

Takuya was brought to his senses. "Huh? Oh, oh yeah. I'm fine, I just have something on my mind. Don't worry about it," Takuya whispered back.

Kyou wasn't convinced, but he relented anyway. "Okay, if you say so."

When he was finished writing, Hirabayashi turned back to face the class and grabbed Mr. Gasai's pointer stick and began to go over the key points specified on the board one-by-one. "The Battle of Sekigahara is widely believed to be the unofficial beginning of the last shogunate's control over Japan. Can anyone tell me who's army was victorious in this battle?" Hirabayashi asked in a semi-serious tone.

"…" no one responded.

Hirabayashi blushed. "Oh right, I have to call on someone, don't I?" Hirabayashi asked himself. Then he looked down at the seating chart and then spotted a familiar name. "Oh, I know. How about our new classmate, Miyazaki-san?"

"…!" Takuya was surprised to get called on by Hirabayashi, but he stood up nonetheless.

"Now tell us, who's army was victorious in the Battle of Sekigahara?" Hirabayashi asked.

'I can't let this get to me too much. If I keep acting this way, everyone will notice something's up with me. I know the answer to this question, better to just answer it fast and sit back down,' Takuya thought to himself.

* * *

Answer the Question: Whose army was victorious in the Battle of Sekigahara?

* * *

Mitsunari Ishida's army

Ieyasu Tokugawa's army

There was no victor, it's a trick question

* * *

Correct Answer: Second Choice.

"Ieyasu Tokugawa's forces were victorious," Takuya replied.

"…!" Hirabayashi looked surprised. "Wow that was fast. Umm, let me check," Hirabayashi looked down at Mr. Gasai's copy of the text book.

Mr. Gasai cleared his throat. "Hirabayashi-kun. Please don't tell me that you really don't know the answer to that question off the top of your head."

"…! Oh no, sir! Of course I know it!" Hirabayashi exclaimed. "It was the umm…the Eastern Army, right?"

"Led by who?" Mr. Gasai asked.

"It's just like Miyazaki-san said. Ieyasu Tokugawa," Hirabayashi replied.

Mr. Gasai smiled. "See you did know the answer. Let this be a lesson to you, Hirabayashi-kun. You shouldn't need to consult your notes or the book each time you ask a question. It's the teacher's responsibility to know what they're teaching. How are you supposed to teach the class something even you yourself don't fully understand?"

"Sorry, Sensei. I really did know the answer, honest. I just got nervous," Hirabayashi replied.

"I believe you, that question is something any child born in this country could answer after all," Mr. Gasai replied. "But you shouldn't be so nervous. Just breathe, you're doing fine."

"Right, thank you, Sensei," Hirabayashi replied. Then he turned back to face Takuya. "Miyazaki-san, sorry about that. You're correct. The Battle of Sekigahara is considered to be Tokugawa's greatest accomplishment. After he and the Eastern Army obtained victory over Mitsunari Ishida and the Western Army, Tokugawa divided the conquered land amongst his followers and was named Shogun by Emperor Go-Yozei. Excellent work. You can sit down now."

Takuya sat back down in his seat and listen to what his classmates were saying:

" _What a long way to go for such a simple question." "Actually would I be considered stupid if I say that I didn't know that?" "I didn't know that either, but that's just because I never study." "That's bad. You should study. Look, even the transfer student knows that it's good to study." "Hirabayashi-sensei needs to work on his lecture skills." "He's trying his best, that has to count for something!" "You've got it bad for him, girl."_

* * *

STORY TUTORIAL #1

(A/N: As some of you may remember from P3, P4, and P5, classroom events will often appear on school days. In these events, you are required to answer questions based on whatever the teacher in that event is talking about. If you answered these questions correctly, then one of your social stats would be raised. But I don't intend to make a social stat system for this story, that's way too busy, needless, and annoying to implement. I am going to have classroom events though, just because I plan to use them to introduce Takuya's other teachers besides Mr. Gasai. I am planning to do exams as well, and just like for its predecessors P6's exams will be made up of the classroom questions. I'm doing exams for the sake of story and time progression, and so I can write a few funny dialogue events about study sessions and cramming. Just letting you know this in advance. Talk to you later.)

* * *

Takuya stared at Hirabayashi. 'There's no way someone like him could ever kill anybody. But he's our only lead for now, so I have to stick with him.' And class dragged on just like that.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Early Afternoon**

Later on, during the first break of the day. Shinichi was keeping up his watch on Michiko Endou. Most of Class 3-A was either talking amongst one another in separate groups spread across the classroom, or had left the classroom altogether for different purposes. Michiko sat quietly at her desk, busying herself by writing something down in a small lavender-colored notebook. Then every now and then she would stop writing and mindlessly check her red smart phone for a few seconds, before putting her phone back down and continuing to write in her notebook. Shinichi sat on top of the desk to her right and observed Michiko's behavior curiously.

"She's acting stranger today than she was yesterday," Shinichi commented on Michiko's behavior. "It's almost like something really heavy is weighing on her mind." Shinichi leaned over Michiko's desk to get a better look at what she was writing in her journal. "I wonder if I can get a peek at what she's writing." A few moments later, Shinichi relented. "No use, she's guarding whatever she's writing with her arms. I can't see a thing." He sighed. "I'm just going to have to wait to look when her guard is down." All of a sudden, the classroom's back door opened and someone walked in. Michiko, immediately shot up and turned around to see who came into the classroom. Shinichi followed her gaze and saw that the person in question was a girl with pale skin, white hair, and red eyes. Shinichi didn't know this, but this girl was Masako Akagawa. "An albino girl? Never seen her before." Shinichi noticed that Michiko looked crestfallen at the sight of Masako, and then she slowly turned back to her desk and continued writing in her journal.

"I guess that's why she's checking her phone too, she's waiting on somebody to come and talk to her," said Shinichi. "Obviously that albino girl is not the person she's waiting on though." Shinichi looked at Masako again and saw that she was now talking to the punkish girl who was sitting to Michiko's left towards the back window. The punkish girl was of course, Jackal Sario Sixx. "Those two seem chummy." Then he noticed the two girls looking over at Michiko.

"So have you talked to Endou-san yet?" Masako asked Jack.

"No, I haven't found the right opportunity," Jack replied.

"Oh come on, you said that yesterday. Do you really want to make up with her or not?" Masako replied.

"O-Of course I do. What I said was out of anger, I didn't really mean it," Jack replied. Then she frowned. "It's just…"

"You're afraid she won't forgive you?" Masako guessed.

Jack's eyes widened and then she lightly smiled at Masako. "You always seem to know what's up with me, Ma-chan. Yeah, you've got me. I'm too scared to apologize to her."

"Sixx-san, you're the strongest person I know," Masako replied. "All you have to do is speak from the heart. Endou-san will understand."

Jack sighed. "I know, I know."

"Then what's stopping you from talking to her right now?" Masako asked.

"Umm, well…break's almost over," Jack replied nervously.

Masako puffed up her cheeks. "That's just an excuse."

"I'll talk to her at lunch time. I promise, okay?" Jack replied.

Masako sighed. "Well as long as you're planning to do it." Then she frowned. "By the way, has anyone said anything else about what happened the other day? You're not going to get in any trouble are you?"

Jack shook her head. "Nah, nobody's said anything about it. Not even the teacher seems to know what happened. The cretins are just glaring at me more than usual and their whispers have gotten a little louder. Nothing much."

"I don't like it when people treat you that way," Masako replied.

"Aww, Ma-chan. Concerned about little ol' me? You're such a good little wife," Jack replied with a giggle.

Masako blushed. "Geez, stop saying embarrassing things like that. I'm just concerned is all." Her expression turned serious. "I…I don't think I could ever forgive myself if anything bad happened to you because of me."

'Ma-chan,' Jack thought to herself. 'You're still holding onto so much pain.' Jack shook her head. "You're not responsible for anything that happens in my shitty life. In fact, Ma-chan, you're one of the reasons why my life isn't even more shitty than it already is."

Masako smiled and then giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment. So do you want to have lunch together again today? I made some fresh-baked cookies this morning before classes began."

"Chocolate chip?!" Jack exclaimed in excitement.

Masako giggled. "But of course."

"Yes! Ma-chan's chocolate chip cookies are almost as sweet as Ma-chan herself," Jack replied in glee.

"You can have them after you talk to Endou-san," Masako replied.

"Aww, there's always a catch. Fine, I'll make sure and talk to her," Jack replied and then pouted.

"Good girl," Masako replied. Then a look of surprise overtook Masako's face. "Huh?" She turned around and locked eyes with Shinichi; well actually in Masako's case it was just the air.

"Whoa!" Shinichi exclaimed in surprise. "I-Is she like that Tenshi guy? Can she sense me too?"

"Ma-chan? Is something wrong?" Jack asked out of concern.

Masako turned back to face her friend. "N-No, it's nothing. I just got the feeling that I was being watched by somebody is all. It's must've just been my imagination."

Jack growled. "If someone has a crush on you, I'll fucking kill them. I'm the only one who gets to stare at you longingly."

Masako sweatdropped and then laughed sarcastically. "My hero."

Shinichi observed the two girls curiously. "No doubt about it. She definitely sensed me. And there's something strange about her. It's the same thing with that punkish girl. It's just like that time with Tenshi. And come to think of it, it's the same feeling I get from Takuya, Ryuta, and Ayuka." Shinichi stroked his chin. "Am I just imagining things or is there something more to this." Suddenly Michiko's phone vibrated and she immediately moved to check it. It appeared that she had gotten a text message. Michiko got up out of her desk and moved to the classroom door. It looked like she was going out into the hall to check her message. "Now's my chance to see what she's up to." Shinichi moved to grab the journal, but before he could Michiko immediately made a U-turn back to her desk and grabbed her journal. And then without another word, Michiko left the classroom. "Damn, so close. Oh well, I guess I better follow her. I might get some useful information that way." Then Shinichi hurried after Michiko.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Noon**

Soon lunchtime began and class 2-B was dismissed for lunch by Mr. Gasai. As soon as Hirabayashi left the classroom, Takuya immediately texted Ryuta: _Okay, Hirabayashi-san is on the move. He just left my classroom._

Immediately Ryuta texted back: _Got it, you can count on me. I won't let him out of my sight. Enjoy your lunch date, Romeo._

Takuya grunted and then moved to text Ayuka: _Hey, we're still on for today, right? Should I meet you up on the roof like last time?_

Then Takuya waited for a few moments for Ayuka to respond. A few moments turned into a few minutes, and then before Takuya knew it, almost ten whole minutes had passed. Takuya looked around the classroom. He was the only one left, everyone else had already left for lunch. And Ayuka had still not responded. "Where is she? She's not the type of person to ignore someone. Maybe she just didn't see the message?" Takuya stood up. "Maybe I should just head to the roof and wait for her there? Who knows? She might already be there waiting on me." Before Takuya could decide what to do, someone entered the classroom. It was Fuyumi, Takuya's cousin. "Fuyu?"

"I was hoping you still might be here. I wanted to come by and talk to you during the first break, but my teacher asked me to help her with something so I couldn't get the chance to sneak away," Fuyumi replied. She walked up to Takuya and then proceeded to speak with him. "Have you heard from Yamasato-san since you saw her yesterday at the hospital?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, we made plans to have lunch together again today. But I haven't spoken to her since then. Why? Has something happened?"

"Yamasato-san was absent from school again today," Fuyumi replied.

"Wh-What?!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Normally, I wouldn't think anything of it. It's not that uncommon for a student to miss two school days in a row after all. But you told me that she said she was coming back today, so it got me a little worried," Fuyumi replied.

"No, I haven't heard anything. I'm just as surprised as you," Takuya replied. "Actually I tried texting her over ten minutes ago and she still hasn't responded."

"Hmm, is it normal for her to take a while to respond to texts?" Fuyumi asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, she usually responds right away; I didn't think much of it until you told me about her though."

Fuyumi gained a troubled expression. "That only makes me more worried." Fuyumi contemplated things for a moment and then muttered something. "I hope she didn't see that article. It might have pushed her over the edge."

"Article? What article?" Takuya asked.

"You haven't heard? Yousha Unmasked was updated last night. And Gentlemen Mask's latest target for slander is Yamasato-san," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya's eyes widened. "What?! No way! What could Ayuka, of all people, have done to garner such infamy?!"

"Well at first it seemed a little tamer compared to his other articles. He mainly went into Yamasato-san's refusal to play in front of others despite being in the orchestra club. He called her lazy, undisciplined, and a detriment to the arts," Fuyumi replied.

"That bastard! Ayuka has a good reason for not being able to play! He has no right to judge her!" Takuya exclaimed.

"But that's not the awful part," Fuyumi replied. "The article then went into further detail about Yamasato-san's background, and then it brought up her younger brother."

Takuya's eyes widened. "No…don't tell me! That bastard ripped apart her brother too?!"

Fuyumi shook her head. "It's worse than that. Much worse. He…he…" Fuyumi couldn't find the words. Then she sighed. "Pull out your phone, I'll give you the URL. It'll make more sense if you read it for yourself." After that, Fuyumi gave Takuya the website URL for Yousha Unmasked's latest article. "In some ways it might be the cruelest post he's ever made. Taking a tragedy like that, and making it look like Yamasato-san is the bad guy in all of it."

Takuya read over the article himself, and when he was finally finished, his face had completely drained of color. "That son of a bitch." Takuya looked up at Fuyumi, his eyes full of shock. And then suddenly his whole body began to tremble in rage; his hands clenched into fists, he grit his teeth, and then he let loose an animalistic growl. "That goddamn son of a bitch!" Takuya suddenly shouted and kicked the desk in front of him. "How dare he?! How dare he do that to Ayuka?! To her brother?! Goddamn him!" Takuya shouted at the top of his lungs. Then his breathing started to become ragged and he practically fell back into his desk in disbelief.

"…" Fuyumi stayed silent the whole time and let her cousin vent his anger.

When Takuya finally calmed down enough to speak again, he simply said, "There's no way any of that is true. Ayuka would never do something like that. That's not in her nature. Who does that asshole think he is saying such vulgar lies about her?"

"He's just someone who's petty, egotistical, and full of anger. He thinks that ruining other people's reputations gives him some kind of power over their lives," Fuyumi said in a cold tone. "He gets off on simple-minded sheep listening to and absorbing his swill, and then he sits back and laughs at the chaos he's caused. You can't let someone so insignificant get to you like that."

"Why haven't you found this guy yet? You promised me that the Student Council was taking care of it. You promised me, Fuyu," Takuya replied.

"I have no excuse for this. The fact that we haven't found and punished this cretin yet, is a grave miscarriage of justice. You're forgetting he's tarnished the reputations of people who I know and care about as well, including you. Yamasato-san is just the most recent victim," Fuyumi replied.

Then a wicked thought crept into Takuya's head. "What if this guy is the reason why that girl killed herself? What was her name, Haruna Iwasaki?"

"We thought that at first too, but there appears to be no connection between Iwasaki-san and Yousha Unmasked. She was fortunately not picked as one of it's targeted," Fuyumi replied. Then Fuyumi sat down in the desk to the right of Takuya's and faced him. "But that doesn't mean that the connection isn't there. And if Yousha Unmasked is truly responsible for Iwasaki-san's death then that's all the more reason why the one behind it all should be caught and punished for his crimes."

Takuya shook his head. "But that's not what scares me. What scares me is what Ayuka might do. What she might have already done."

"…" Fuyumi went silent.

"You've known her longer than I have, Fuyu. You can't tell me you haven't picked up on the signs," Takuya replied. "And yesterday, she seemed a hundred times worse than ever before. I could feel it, Fuyu. There was so much darkness surrounding her, so much pain, so much despair. She was suffering so much that it made me want to cry. But I just couldn't find a way to reach out to her. As much as I want to help her, she's still pushing me away." Takuya looked down at his phone, Ayuka still hadn't replied to his text message. "Fuyu, what if she's…"

"You can't think like that. You're right, for as long as I've known her, Yamasato-san has always seemed detached from the rest of the world. Last year when she first came here, I could see that on most days her eyes would look red and puffy. She cried so much, just like I used to do after my mother and father passed away. I knew how she felt because I felt the same way. But even after so much time passed, her wounds just didn't seem to heal. I started to wonder if she would ever start to enjoy life again." Then Fuyumi lightly smiled. "But now I'm starting to see a new side to her. And do you know when that happened? The day after she met you," Fuyumi explained.

"…" Takuya listened silently.

"On Monday, when she asked me for your contact info, you should've seen the smile on her face. She looked so happy that she'd made a new friend. That was the first time I've ever really seen light in her eyes. And now that you're here to stay, I don't think that light will go out so easily." Fuyumi reached out and grabbed Takuya's hand. "If you know she's going through a tough time, then it's your responsibility to be there for her as her friend."

"I made the mistake of not being there for a friend when he needed me the most back in America," Takuya replied. "I've regretted that decision every day since then. But I just…I just don't know how to help her. I don't know what to do. What do I do, Fuyu?"

Fuyumi shrugged her shoulders. "I can't answer that question for you. Because I'm not the one that Yamasato-san has placed her faith in. That's you. What do you think you should do to help her, Takuya?"

"…" Takuya thought about it for a second and then he nodded and made up his mind. "I want to protect her; I want to make sure that she never gets hurt ever again. Even now, hearing about how someone can just make fun of her life like that. It tears me up inside."

Fuyumi smiled. "That's true friendship, if I've ever heard it." Then she giggled. "Actually it kind of sounds like it might be a little bit more than friendship."

Takuya blushed. "Sh-Shut up."

Then the classroom's front door opened and another person walked in. "I thought I heard some familiar voices in here." Michiko Endou walked into the classroom and greeted the two cousins.

"Endou-senpai?" Fuyumi and Takuya replied in surprise.

"I was just on my way to go get something for lunch when look what I find, two Miyazakis talking and holding hands alone in an empty classroom," Michiko replied with a giggle.

"…" Takuya and Fuyumi looked down and noticed that they were still holding hands. They gasped and quickly let go of each other.

Michiko giggled at their reaction. "Come now, there's no need to be so embarrassed. The heart wants the heart wants. I'm not one to judge." Then she wagged her finger at the cousins. "But remember this is still a school, I ask as the Student Council President that you think more about the time, place, and opportunity."

"Senpai, that's not funny!" Fuyumi exclaimed, red in the face.

Michiko giggled again. "It's kind of funny."

Takuya heard another person chuckle, and then looked behind Michiko to see Shinichi snickering in the doorway. 'Laugh it up, ghost boy. Laugh it up,' Takuya thought to himself. Then Takuya took note of Michiko and noticed that she looked slightly different compared to when he first met her. Her eyes had several dark bags under them, and her usual cheerful atmosphere appeared to be gone. Even her teasing act just now seemed to be a bit forced. 'It's just like Shinichi said, something really is up with her.' Then all of a sudden, Takuya saw a bone-chilling sight. A familiar black butterfly perched itself on Michiko's left shoulder. But that wasn't the end of it. Another black butterfly appeared, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then another still. In mere moments, a swarm of black butterflies covered Michiko's body. They began to make a sharp buzzing sound as they crawled all over her. It was a very disturbing sight, and of course Takuya was the only one who could see it.

"It's been a while since we've last spoken, Miyazaki-kun. How are you enjoying Yousha so far?" Michiko asked Takuya as the black butterflies covered her face, unbeknownst to her.

"…" Takuya just stood there with his eyes glued wide open as he stared at the horrid sight.

"Miyazaki-kun?" Michiko replied in a concerned tone.

"Takuya, are you okay?" Fuyumi muttered.

"H-Huh?" Takuya replied out of confusion. Then suddenly all the black butterflies faded and Takuya could see Michiko's face again. Then he noticed that both she and Fuyumi were giving him worried looks. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I guess I just zoned out there for a second."

"You look really pale, like you've just seen a ghost," Michiko replied.

"…" Shinichi also gave Takuya a worried look.

"No really, it's okay," Takuya replied. 'Actually, I saw a ghost and a whole lot more.'

Fuyumi rested her hands on Takuya's shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry. I feel a lot better after our talk."

Fuyumi nodded. "Okay, if you say so." Then she removed her hands and turned around to face Michiko. "Senpai, I was sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well lately."

Michiko seemed confused. "Wh-Who told you that?"

"Handa-senpai," Fuyumi replied. "When I asked him earlier today if he knew why you've been absent for the past few days, he said that you haven't been acting like yourself lately, and he was concerned. Is something the matter, Senpai?"

"…" Michiko was at a loss for words for a second, but she chose to put on a brave face and smile. "No, it's okay. I've just been a little tired lately. I think I've been burning the candle at both ends too much and I'm paying the consequences for it. I should be back to normal in a few days or so. Don't pay Handa-kun any mind, he can be such a worry-wart when he wants to be."

Fuyumi seemed unconvinced but she didn't question Michiko. "If you say so. But it's been a while since we talked, why don't we have lunch together today and catch up?"

Michiko's eyes widened in surprise. "Umm, maybe not today. I think I'd like some peace and quiet for a little while. Besides, you and your cousin should take the opportunity and have lunch together. You're in different classes after all, so you probably don't get that many chances to hang out together, right?"

"No, it's fine, Endou-senpai," Takuya replied. "I have something I need to take care of anyway. You should go have lunch with Fuyu."

"R-Really?" Michiko replied.

"Are you sure?" Fuyumi asked.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, you two go have fun. I think I'm going to look into what we talked about a little more."

Understanding Takuya's intentions, Fuyumi nodded and turned back to face Michiko. "Looks like I'm free after all, Senpai. Shall we?"

"…" Michiko still looked unnerved. But she feigned a smile nonetheless. "Oh, I can't say no to you. Come on, let's hurry before the lunch break ends." Then she looked at Takuya. "It was nice seeing you again, Miyazaki-kun. I hope we can finish our conversation some other time."

Takuya nodded. "I hope so too, Senpai." Then he thought to himself, 'I really do.'

"I'll talk to you later, good luck," Fuyumi replied before following Michiko out of the classroom, and closing the door behind them.

Then Shinichi phased through the door and walked up to Takuya. "Your eyes turned red back there. It was just like Ayuka described it. Did you see something?"

Takuya nodded. "I saw it again. The black butterfly."

Shinichi's eyes went wide. "Was it around the Prez?"

Takuya nodded again. "Only it wasn't just one like it was with Ayuka, there were at least fifty of them, maybe even more. They were crawling all over her and they were letting out this loud buzzing noise. It was almost like something out of a horror movie."

Shinichi shivered in fright. "I'm getting the heebie-jeebies just listening to you talk about it. I can't imagine actually seeing something like that up close and personal. What do you think it means?"

"…" Takuya thought about it for a second before his eyes went wide. "…!" He gave Shinichi a worried look. "That's it. I think I understand the significance of the black butterflies, and the power of my eyes."

"Really? What is it?" Shinichi asked.

"It's death. The black butterflies represent death. My eyes allow me to see death," Takuya explained.

"What do you mean? Like an omen?" Shinichi asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, I think it's more than that. The omen showed us that Endou-senpai was going to die, but we haven't seen a single omen for Ayuka yet. I think my eyes are more pronounced than the omens. They let me see the death surrounding every individual. And when that death becomes a reality, it takes the form of a black butterfly. That would explain why Ayuka only has one, while Endou-senpai has a swarm of them. Ayuka's death isn't destined to happen yet, or at least not as destined as Endou-senpai's is. That's the only way I can think of to explain it."

"So going by that logic, the Prez has less time than we thought. This doesn't bode well," Shinichi replied.

"It's worse than that, it means that Ayuka's in danger too. And I think I know why." Takuya frowned. "You've noticed it too, right? Ayuka isn't as together as she pretends to be. She's just like me, you, and Ryuta, she's also holding onto pain. The depression and despair over the death of her brother, it's been tearing her apart inside for years."

Shinichi frowned. "And you think it's starting to become too much for her?"

"You didn't see her yesterday; she's barely holding it together as it is. If we don't do something soon, we might lose her forever," Takuya replied. "And to make matters worse, I think's she gotten herself caught up in something else."

"What are you talking about?" Shinichi asked.

"I just heard from Fuyumi, Ayuka was absent again today," Takuya replied. "And I texted her almost half an hour ago and she still hasn't replied. I…I may just be overthinking things but."

Shinichi shook his head. "No, I understand your worries. After what we've been through so far, I'm worried too. You don't think she…you know?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, I feel like we would've heard something by now if that's the case. After my grandfather and the teachers and faculty, the Student Council would be the next to know. And Fuyu knows about me and Ayuka, she wouldn't keep something like that from me if she knew."

"Then you think she's missing?" Shinichi replied.

"Sometimes the police will make you wait a little while before officially reporting someone missing. If that's the case maybe the school does already know, and is just keeping the Student Council in the dark for now until it's been made official," Takuya explained.

"Oh God, you don't think something bad happened to her, do you?" Shinichi replied. "What if that black butterfly wasn't a warning about a suicide? What if it was a warning about a murder? She could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere right now!" Shinichi exclaimed in terror.

"Calm down!" Takuya exclaimed. "I have a theory about that too. But if I'm right, then she might be in even worse danger than we thought."

"What are you…? …!" Shinichi eyes widened when he realized what Takuya meant. "You don't think she's in Limbo, do you?"

"Think about it. Her situation isn't all that different from Ryuta's. It isn't that big of a leap to say that the thing that went after him went after her too. If that's the case, she could be in Limbo right now. And if she's there then the police will never be able to find her," Takuya explained.

"You don't have to say another word. Let's go," Shinichi replied. And then the two boys made up their minds to head into Limbo.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Noon**

When Takuya and Shinichi arrived in Limbo, Shinichi immediately got to work while Takuya stood back and let Shinichi try to locate Ayuka and defend him from any Shadows that might attack out of nowhere. After a few quiet minutes, Takuya got antsy and decided to break the silence. "Well, do you sense her at all?"

"Hmm," Shinichi opened his eyes and removed his little ghost hands from his head. "I'm definitely sensing something. But it's pretty far away, at least off of the campus. And I can't say for sure that it's Ayuka. All I know is that whatever it is, it's not of this world." Then he turned around to face Takuya. "Sorry, that's all I can say for sure without getting closer. My sensory skills just aren't that strong from a distance."

"Okay, well let's just say for argument's sake that it is her. You said before that when Ryuta was trapped here, you could sense his Shadow with him as well. How is Ayuka's Shadow? Is it still under control?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi nodded. "There was a noticeable presence of darkness near whatever I sensed, so I assume it's a Shadow. But it doesn't seem like it's berserk at the moment."

"And that's all you can tell? For Ryuta you seemed to have a lot more information," Takuya replied.

"That was different," Shinichi said in his defense. "You're forgetting; I saw Ryuta when his Shadow first took him over. I felt his inner light and darkness firsthand. I haven't done that for Ayuka, so excuse me if I'm having a little trouble finding her."

"Perhaps, I can be of some assistance," someone suddenly said, causing Takuya and Shinichi to react in a protective manner. They saw a mysterious individual approach them, the individual in question wore a baggy black leather coat, armor supporting several accoutrements, and a black bounty hunter cowboy hat with a brown band. "Howdy," the mysterious individual said as he tipped his hat to Takuya and Shinichi. They didn't know it, but this was actually Gabe Gonçalves AKA Revenant, one of the other Grim Reapers who obtained their powers before them.

Takuya summoned his scythe and then brandished it menacingly. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Whoa, take 'er easy there, hoss," Gabe replied as he held up his hands in surrender. "I mean you no harm." Gabe pushed back his coat and revealed his silver revolver holstered to his right hip. "I'm one of you guys, a wanderer of these desolate plains, carving out my own path in this overbearing darkness." Gabe slowly lowered his hands and then quickly withdrew his revolver and fired three shots before Takuya could even move. Then Gabe spun his revolver around his trigger finger while it was still smoking from the barrel. "Only difference is, where you throw around that big menacing scythe, I prefer a little more finesse in my approach. Ain't nothing faster than a six-shooter." Takuya and Shinichi heard horrible screaming coming from behind them, and then turned around to see three Shadows disappearing into darkness. "Those nasty little critters were planning a surprise attack, lucky for you boys I stopped them before they could." Gabe holstered his revolver and then looked back up at Takuya and Shinichi. "You're welcome by the way."

Takuya lowered his scythe. "You, you're the guy who helped me, Ayuka, and White Rabbit. You're Revenant, right?"

"Indeed I am, no autographs please," Gabe replied.

Takuya walked up to Gabe and then outstretched his hand. "I didn't get the chance to thank you for driving off Death before, but my friend told me the whole story. You were really brave standing up to that psycho all by yourself."

Gabe accepted Takuya's gesture. "Happy to oblige. You're forgetting I had a stake in that fight too, that no good outlaw nearly killed my partner."

"How is White Rabbit by the way? Is she here with you? I never got the chance to thank her either," Takuya replied.

Gabe nodded. "She's fine, getting knocked down once ain't enough to keep someone like her from fighting, trust me. Unfortunately, it's just me today. I was told by one of my teammates that someone was here in Limbo. I thought it was you guys, but we just wanted to make sure. Can't be too careful, you know?" Then Gabe looked toward Shinichi. "And I guess you're Sin Eater here's eye in the sky. Nice to meet you, name's Revenant," he said as he outstretched his hand.

"…" Shinichi contemplated taking Gabe's hand before deciding to accept the gesture. He shook Gabe's hand with his little ghost one in an awkward manner. "I'm Phantasm, I'm a ghost," Shinichi replied.

"A ghost Grim Reaper? Well don't that beat all," Gabe replied. Then Gabe withdrew his hand and looked back at Takuya. "And from what I hear, you've been mighty busy. Got yourself another teammate to go along with the kid here, right?"

"H-How did you…?" Takuya replied before he was cut off.

"I told you, you've got your eye in the sky. I've got mine. And my eye can see everything that goes on here in Limbo, it's her ability. Rabbit did teach you about those didn't she?" Gabe asked.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, she told me she had the Eyes of the Rabbit and possessed extraordinary survival instincts."

"Too true, I on the other hand, possess the Eyes of the Deadeye, making me an expert marksman, hunter, and tracker," Gabe replied. "As for our eye in the sky, she possesses the Eyes of the Pantomath. Knowing things is her specialty. Which is why she knows for a fact that a girl matching the description of that sweet little lady who was with you a few days ago, is now trapped inside Limbo."

"So it is true, she's here?" Takuya replied.

Gabe nodded. "Waiting for the hero of this tale to ride in on his noble steed and rescue her. I wish I could help too but I've got orders not to interfere. I just thought I would do you the curtesy of telling you in person."

"Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to us," Takuya replied.

Gabe shook his head. "Don't thank me. I only do what I think is in favor of justice. Your girl needs help so you should go to her. Only wish that I could be of more assistance, but this is all that the boss would allow. But I might ask you for something in the future for this information, so just keep an open mind in the days to come. The boss has taken an interest in you, and he might be reaching out to you very soon." Then Gabe began to walk off into the darkness. "Well I best be heading on then. I've got to report my findings to the others. Here's hoping we meet again, Sin Eater, Phantasm. Till then, happy trails. Happy trails," he said as he waved goodbye.

When Gabe was gone, Shinichi sweatdropped and said, "That guy is like a walking bad Western movie."

Takuya sweatdropped as well. "You can say that again." Then he became serious. "But the good news is we know for sure that Ayuka is here in Limbo."

"Yeah, but what should we do? If what your eyes showed you is really true, the Prez doesn't have long for this world. I think she deserves our undivided attention," Shinichi replied.

"But…Ayuka," Takuya muttered.

"Like I said before, the darkness I sensed with her hasn't grown yet. Her Shadow isn't in any immediate danger of going berserk. It's a tough situation but we can only devote our time and energy to one person right now," Shinichi explained.

Takuya sighed. "You're right. I know you're right. If we just drop everything and go save Ayuka right now, who knows what might happen? We might not end up being able to save either one of them in the end. Let's regroup for now. We should find Ryuta and tell him all that we've found out."

Shinichi nodded. "That's a smart move. Don't worry, we're going to save the Prez and Ayuka. That's a promise."

"…" Takuya silently nodded. 'I hope that it's a promise we can keep though,' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Noon**

Meanwhile, Masako and Jack were enjoying their lunch in the campus courtyard that Masako liked to frequent. "So you didn't talk to her?" Masako asked Jack.

Jack sighed. "I tried, okay? I really did try. As soon as the bell rang, I rushed over to her and tried to get a word in. But before I could even say anything, she brushed me off and said she had something important to do. I'm starting to think she's avoiding me."

Masako frowned. "I think I can understand that. Everyone's been saying for the past few days that Endou-san hasn't been herself. I think something might be up with the orchestra club too. Lately, Owari-san has seemed on edge as well."

Jack groaned. "There's always something, isn't there? First you and I got ousted on that stupid blog and now it seems like everybody's got something to hide or is worried about something or another." Jack ate her lunch as she complained. "Judgmental-free school? Yeah, right. Academy of Second Chances? My ass. If it looks like a prep school, and smells like a prep school, then it's a freaking prep school. Complete with all the gossiping BS, stressful school life, and hateful students you can handle."

Masako lightly smiled. "Yeah, but it's not all bad. I've been here for a few years now, and even if it seems overwhelming at times, I still think this is the best place that I've ever lived at."

Jack frowned. "Sheesh, here I am complaining about my own shit and I keep forgetting, you're way worse off than I am. Your family won't even speak to you."

"…" Masako frowned again and silently played with her food.

Jack gave Masako a concerned look. "Hey you know; my folks have been bugging me recently about how I don't come home enough. I see my sisters every now and then, but it's been a while since I've seen my mom and dad. They said I should at least come home some time for family dinner. I was maybe thinking about going over there this weekend and catching up with everyone. And I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I bring a friend along."

"…" Masako looked back at Jack.

"I can't promise that my mom's cooking is anywhere near as good as yours, her desserts are definitely not that's for sure, but I think they'd really like to meet you. I've told them a lot about you, after all," Jack replied.

"Ab-About me?" Masako repeated in confusion.

Jack nodded. "Duh, you're like my best friend here. No, correction you're like my only friend here. So what do you say? Is that something you might be interested in doing?"

Masako frowned and turned back to her lunch. "Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it, okay?"

Jack frowned. "Okay, just thought I would ask." Then Jack turned her attention to the box beside Masako. "Hey, I hate to be a bother, but do you think I could have one of those cookies now?"

"Hmm? Oh sure," Masako replied and then handed the box to Jack. "Here, help yourself. I made them for you after all."

Jack accepted the box and then opened it and retrieved one of the chocolate chip cookies. "Thanks." She munched on the cookie while silently staring at Masako. 'This is hella awkward now. It's been a while since we first met, and I still know hardly anything about her. I didn't even learn about her circumstances through her, I learned about them through that stupid blog. She's so kind and caring, but also so secretive. She's willing to help me with my problems, but anytime I try to get her to open up about her own, she freezes me out just like this. What is she so afraid of? I just want to know how I can be a better friend to her. But how can I do that if she won't let me in?' Then Jack sighed.

"Umm, excuse me? Jackal-chan?" someone suddenly called out to Jack. Jack and Masako turned to see Yurika Owari approach them.

"It's Jack, and yeah?" Jack replied, cookie crumbles falling out of her mouth as she did so.

"Sorry, Jack-chan, you wouldn't happen to know where Michiko is, do you?" Yurika replied. "I can't find her anywhere."

"You're looking for Endou-san, Owari-san? I thought you two were best friends?" Masako asked. "Don't you at least have her phone number?"

Yurika shook her head. "I've been trying to get in touch with her for a few days now. She's not returning my calls or my texts, and anytime I try to talk to her in person, she avoids me. I don't know what else to do. I thought maybe if I surprised and cornered her she would be forced to talk to me so I was hoping someone from her class could help me find her."

Jack shook her head. "Don't know. She's been avoiding me too, no, actually it seems like she's been avoiding everybody lately. Did the two of you have a bad fight or something?"

Yurika sighed. "You could say that. But I can't go on like this, I want my friend back no matter what the cost."

"That's probably the reason why Endou-san has been acting so strangely," Masako whispered to Jack, and Jack nodded in reply. Masako turned back to face Yurika. "I think you should just give Endou-san a little time. If the two of you really are the best of friends, I'm sure she won't throw away what you two have over one fight. When she's ready to talk, she'll reach out to you."

Yurika frowned. "But what if she never forgives me? What if this is it for us?"

"…" Jack stayed silent and then she sighed and began to speak. "Then you have to find some way where she's forced to talk to you until you work things out. If you really want her back, you have to be willing to fight for her."

"…" Yurika was silent before nodding. "Alright, thanks for the advice you two. I'll let you know what happens. And let me know if you see her, okay?" And then Yurika walked away without another word.

"So whose advice do you think she'll take?" Jack asked Masako.

"I don't know. But whatever happens, I hope the two of them manage to work things out," Masako replied.

Jack sighed in exasperation. "I guarantee their stupid fight is about some boy. God straight chicks are so damn annoying. It's always either boys, makeup, or clothes."

Masako giggled lightly. "And what if I want to talk to you about those things with you one day, Sixx-san? Will that make me seem annoying too?"

"I could never be annoyed with my little wifey, Ma-chan," Jack replied lovingly. Masako giggled in reply and Jack smiled. 'Well I guess it's okay like this for now. Just know, I'm here for you, Ma-chan. No matter what,' Jack thought to herself. 'And when you're ready to open up, I'll be here to listen.'

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After School**

After the final bell rang, Takuya, Shinichi, and Ryuta met up together on the rooftop of the high school building to discuss their findings. "No way! Yamasato-san's in Limbo?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, the two of us went into Limbo during lunch and Shinichi sensed something alien there. Then one of those other Reapers we told you about before showed up and he confirmed it for us."

"But how did he know? You don't think he had anything to do with it do you?" Ryuta asked.

"I don't think so, he didn't seem all that different from the three of us," Shinichi replied. "And according to him, he only knew about it because one of his teammates told him about it. Apparently there's another Reaper who has a power that's similar to mine, only much stronger. According to that Revenant guy, this Reaper possesses the Eyes of the Pantomath; their eyes allow them to automatically know what's going on in Limbo at any time."

"Seriously?!" Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh and by the way, we found out what my eyes do too. The Eyes of Endings are able to see death itself," Takuya added.

"What?" Ryuta replied.

"The black butterfly that I told you about, it's a personification of death. Anyone I see who has the black butterfly around them is going to die. It's a warning like the omens, but not quite as clear, and only one that I can see," Takuya explained.

"So then that means that Yamasato-san might die too?" Ryuta replied. "But wait a minute, how do you know for sure that that's what it means? Maybe there's more to it than that."

"You might be right, but we know for sure that the black butterflies are a bad sign," Takuya replied. "I saw them around her too, Endou-senpai I mean," he added with a frown.

"N-No way," Ryuta replied with widened eyes.

"And it wasn't just one of them either, it was a whole swarm. They were practically covering her body from head to toe, and they were making this God awful buzzing sound like they were going to attack. I can still hear it in my head even now," Takuya added.

Ryuta visibly shivered. "Just hearing about it makes my skin crawl. But that does seem like a pretty obvious clue. So you guys found out all of this just during lunch? Man, I picked the wrong lead to follow. All Hirabayashi-san did during lunch was actually eat lunch."

"Nothing suspicious at all to report?" Takuya asked.

Ryuta shook his head. "No, he looked like he was waiting for somebody for a little while. I guess he had a lunch date planned with someone, just like you. But after he got a text from somebody he just decided to have lunch by himself. Nothing else happened for the whole break." Ryuta's stomach growled as if on cue. "I was so focused on him, I didn't even get the chance to sneak away and get something to eat for myself."

"Nothing happened to the Prez either, at least from what I saw," Shinichi added. "She seemed really skittish all day though. Around the first break of the day, she looked like she was waiting on someone. And then she got a text shortly after that, but I couldn't find out from who. And then I lost her, and didn't find her again until the lunch bell rang."

"That was around the time when we met up, right?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi nodded. "She went off to eat lunch with your cousin and we went into Limbo. I met up with her after that, but nothing else notable happened for the rest of the day. And that's all that happened on my end," Shinichi replied. 'There were those two girls too, but I doubt it's that important. It can wait a little while,' Shinichi thought to himself.

"So another day of investigation and we have…nothing, yet again," Ryuta replied with an added sigh.

"Not necessarily, we know that both Endou-senpai and Hirabayashi-san were supposed to see someone today. While Hirabayashi-san didn't meet up with anyone, we don't know what happened to Endou-senpai. The person that she was meeting with might be her killer." Then Takuya smiled. "And if so, that lets Hirabayashi-san off the hook. He stayed in the classroom the whole time during the first break, and Endou-senpai never showed up."

"That doesn't make him any less suspicious, it just proves he wasn't the person she met with," Shinichi replied.

Takuya frowned. "Yeah, you're right. Guess I just jumped the gun."

"But your theory might be true, we should try and find out who was the person that met with the Prez during the first break. If anything they could be a new lead," Shinichi added.

"Okay, but how do we do that? If Endou-senpai is going through the effort of being this secretive, I doubt she'll just come out and tell us if we ask her, and there probably weren't any witnesses to the event either," Ryuta replied.

Shinichi recalled the events of his patrol today, and how secretive Michiko was acting and that's when he remembered something important. "Wait, there might be another way we can find out what she's up to. I remember that today she had this small journal with her, she was writing something down in it but she was going to great lengths to keep it hidden. I couldn't even see anything."

"You're thinking she wrote down something in that journal that relates to her murder?" Takuya asked.

"It's worth a shot trying to find out. She didn't have that journal when I ran into her again, so she probably put it somewhere," Shinichi explained.

"Well we don't have any other leads at the moment, and it looks like Hirabayashi-san's already gone home for the day. So I say we look for the journal," Ryuta replied. "The only question is where should we look first?"

* * *

Make a decision

* * *

Michiko might still have it on her person

It might be in her locker

It could be in her dorm room

* * *

First Choice.

"Could she still have it on her person?" Takuya asked.

Ryuta shook his head. "Dude, haven't you been listening at all? Shinichi already said that when he saw her after the first break, she didn't have it anymore."

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, and just to make sure I checked her bag while she was distracted. No journal," he added.

Ryuta seemed shocked. "You didn't mention that part before. You were just looking for the journal, right?"

Shinichi seemed unnerved. "Umm…sure, let's go with that," he replied.

Ryuta chose to not press any further. "Umm, any other ideas?"

* * *

Make a decision

* * *

It might be in her locker

It could be in her dorm room

* * *

First Choice.

"What about her locker?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi shook his head. "I checked all over the high school building for her after I lost her. Nothing in her locker had been disturbed, but her shoe box was empty," Shinichi replied. "So she did leave the building."

Ryuta looked shocked again. "Dude, how many times have you gone through her stuff before?"

"What? I'm just being thorough," Shinichi replied in his defense.

"There's being thorough, and then there's just being plain creepy," Ryuta replied.

'Hmm, where else?' Takuya thought to himself.

* * *

Make a decision

* * *

It could be in her dorm room

* * *

Only Choice.

"Wait, if Endou-senpai didn't have the journal when she came back after the break, and her shoes were missing from her shoe box, then it's safe to say that she went somewhere outside of the building, maybe even to a different part of the campus, right?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah, if Shinichi really was as thorough as he says he was, I think that's a pretty safe bet," Ryuta asked.

"Then what if she went back to her dorm room after her secret meeting? The journal could be there," Takuya replied.

"That's a good idea, we should check there first," Shinichi replied. Then he lifted up off the ground and hovered over to the rooftop entrance. "Come on, follow me. I know where her dorm room is," he added.

"You've been to her room too? Dude!" Ryuta replied in a creeped out manner.

"I never went inside! I just know where it is because I followed her there once!" Shinichi exclaimed. Then he motioned for Takuya and Ryuta to follow him. "Now come on, we have to hurry."

"…" Takuya and Ryuta nodded before chasing off after Shinichi.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After School**

Takuya, Ryuta, and Shinichi made their way to the Yousha Academy girls' dorm. Then the two living boys followed the ghost boy to the top floor of the dorm, where the third year girls were housed. Takuya and Ryuta made note that the layout of the girls' dorm was very similar to the boys' dorm. The wallpaper and carpeting was just a little different. "It sort of seems like it's wrong for us to be here," Takuya suddenly said as they were approaching Michiko's dorm room.

"Relax," Ryuta replied. "There's no rule against coming here in the middle of the day. Now, if we were doing this at night, yeah, we'd probably have a problem. But look around. This place is practically empty. No one's going to put up a fuss."

Takuya sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Look if anybody asks, we're just here to talk to your cousin," Ryuta replied. "That way we'll have a cover for being here if someone starts prying."

Takuya nodded. "Right."

Shinichi motioned for Takuya and Ryuta to keep following him. "Come on, it's this way." Shinichi brought the two other boys to a dorm room that was in the middle of the hallway. Room 515. "Alright this is our stop. Hang on a second." Shinichi phased his head through the door.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that," Ryuta remarked at this sight.

"Just wait until he drags you through a solid wall and you experience it first hand," Takuya replied.

Shinichi pulled his head out of the door and turned to face the other two boys. "The coast is clear. She's not back yet."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Ryuta asked.

Shinichi nodded and then phased through Michiko's door without another word. A few moments later, a clicking sound could be heard as Shinichi unlocked the door and opened it for Takuya and Ryuta. "There's no telling when she might come back though, so let's try to find the journal as fast as possible." Takuya and Ryuta quickly snuck into the room after making sure they weren't being watched, and Shinichi closed the door behind them.

The boys took note of Michiko's room. The layout and color scheme were very similar to their own rooms, but there were obviously a few feminine touches here and there that proved it was a girl's room. Oddly enough though, there wasn't that much to see. Everything Michiko owned seemed to be either in her closet, on her desk, or on the few shelves with knickknacks. It was pretty barren compared to both Takuya's and Ryuta's rooms. It was also very neat and tidy; the bed was made, and every item Michiko owned seemed to be organized and tucked in its own little place. Even the small teddy bear that was lying on the bed seemed to be perfectly centered among the sheets and pillows.

"God, this is much cleaner than I was expecting. I wonder if all girls keep their rooms like this," said Shinichi.

Ryuta chuckled. "They don't, trust me. Natsu's bedroom was always a disaster zone. This is just Endou-senpai's style. It does look barely lived in though, almost like something out of a classy bed and breakfast."

"She's a very busy person, she must only come here to sleep," Takuya replied. Takuya spied a few of Michiko's personal items on her dresser. Some photos caught his eye. There were several framed photos that were all face down. Curious, Takuya turned a few of them back over and saw that the photos were of a younger Michiko spending time and posing with a plain girl with short neck-length black hair who looked about her age. Takuya recognized that the Yousha Academy campus was the background for a lot of these photos. "Huh, Fuyu did say that Endou-senpai's been here for a few years."

"Oh yeah, apparently Yousha Academy has an orphanage program. A lot of the kids who go here have either been abandoned by their parents or passed back and forth through foster care. That's why the academy's open to kids of all ages," Ryuta explained. "I didn't know Endou-senpai was like that though." Ryuta looked over Takuya's shoulder and saw the photos Takuya had taken an interest in. "Yeah, that's definitely Endou-senpai. I don't recognize the other girl though. She's kind of cute."

Takuya stared at the black-haired girl in curiosity. She looked oddly familiar for some reason. Then he focused on the eyes and face and it finally hit him. "Oh that's Owari."

"Owari? Yurika Owari?" Ryuta replied in confusion. "That pain-in-the-ass kogal?"

"You know her?" Takuya asked.

"I've never personally met her, but a few of the students in my class are part of the orchestra club. Not one of them has anything nice to say about her," Ryuta replied.

Takuya sighed. "Yeah, that's what Ayuka told me too. She apparently makes life miserable for the whole club." He looked back at the black-haired girl. "She looks very different now, but that's definitely her. Fuyu said the two of them were childhood friends. They must have both been brought up here in the orphanage program together." A question came to Takuya's mind. "These photos are obviously precious to her. Why did she have them facing down?" Then he carefully placed the photos back in the exact positions he found them as to not arouse suspicion from Michiko, upon her return.

"Hey guys, come check this out," Shinichi replied. Takuya and Ryuta turned to see Shinichi hovering over Michiko's trash can.

"You're going through her trash now? Could you get any creepier?" Ryuta asked.

"It's not like that," Shinichi replied, before reaching into the trash can and pulling out another framed photo. "Look." The glass in the frame was chipped and cracked, and the frame itself was barely holding together. It looked like someone had taken a bat to it.

Takuya and Ryuta came closer and got a better look at the photo. This was a photo of a younger Michiko and Yurika as well. Only in this photo, the two girls were hugging, smiling, and holding up two red bracelets to the camera. "I recognize those bracelets, Endou-senpai and Owari were both wearing them on the day that I first met them."

"Those look like friendship bracelets," Ryuta added. "I think I'm starting to get the picture here."

Takuya nodded. "So am I. Endou-senpai and Owari must have had some sort of fight."

"So the Prez broke this one in particular out of anger?" Shinichi asked. "Do you think this might be some sort of lead?"

"I don't know. We don't even know what exactly they were fighting about. For all we know, it could be unrelated to Endou-senpai's murder," Takuya replied.

"Well whatever the fight was about, I bet Endou-senpai wrote it down in her journal. We just have to find the journal and we'll know exactly what went down," said Ryuta.

"Okay then, let's get back to work and find that jour…" Takuya immediately went silent when the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the empty hallway right next door. Then a few moments later the footsteps stopped, right in front of the door.

"…" Shinichi didn't say a word.

"…" neither did Ryuta.

The sound of jingling metal could be heard. Someone was fiddling with their keys.

"It's her, she's back," Takuya whispered.

"Calm down, maybe it's just her neighbor across the hall," Ryuta replied.

Then a familiar voice spoke and made chills run up all three of the boys' spines. "Huh, did I leave the door unlocked?" It was Michiko!

Shinichi dropped the broken frame back into the trash can and quickly sprinted to the other side of the room and phased his head through the wall. "No one's in the next room, come on we'll hide you guys in there," Shinichi whispered as he motioned for Takuya and Ryuta to grab onto him.

"Seriously?!" Ryuta exclaimed in a whisper.

"It works, just ask Takuya," Shinichi replied.

"Is someone in there?" Michiko called out from behind the door.

"Wait!" Takuya exclaimed in a whisper and sprinted to the light switch, turning off the lights, before heading back over to Shinichi and Ryuta.

"Whoever's in there. You're in big trouble. Come out right now," Michiko demanded.

"Go! Go! Go!" Takuya exclaimed as he and Ryuta grabbed onto Shinichi's hands and a few moments later the ghost boy pulled them through the wall, just as the door opened and Michiko stepped into the darkened room.

Michiko turned on the lights and then quickly went about searching her room for an intruder. "Who's in here? I know I heard voices. There are rules at this school. You can't go into another student's room without permission." She checked in her closet, underneath her bed, and any other possible hiding spots but found no one. Not guessing, the intruders were now in her neighbor's dorm room. Michiko then looked around the room, nothing appeared to have been disturbed. She sighed and held her head in frustration. "I must be more tired than I thought. I'm starting to see and hear things." Michiko shut and locked the door behind her. "And I really should be more careful about locking the door." And then she kicked off her shoes and made her way to her bed to lie down.

As she lied back on her bed, she picked up the teddy bear that was lying there with her and then zipped open its backside and pulled out a small book from within it. To be more specific, her journal. "Thanks for keeping my secrets safe as always, Mr. Bear," Michiko said to the teddy bear before kissing it on its nose and lying it back down on the bed. She held up her journal and stared at it with tired eyes. "I know my head's saying that I'm not doing the right thing, this overwhelming exhaustion is proof enough of that, but my heart…its saying that if I don't do something now, I'll always regret it." She pulled her journal close to her chest. "Please God, give me the strength I need to do what I'm about to do."

Meanwhile, Shinichi phased Takuya and Ryuta out of the room adjoining Michiko's and back into the hallway. "That was way too close a call," said Takuya, before heaving an exasperated sigh.

"And we got nothing for all of our troubles," Ryuta added.

"I'm sorry guys, this is the first time that she's come back to her room this early. She must be worse off than we thought," Shinichi replied.

"Well what do we do now? Just wait until she leaves again?" Ryuta asked.

"We can't do that. Who knows? She might stay in her room for the rest of the day," Takuya replied.

"You guys head back to the dorm. I'll stay here with her," Shinichi replied.

"Shinichi, are you sure?" Takuya asked.

Shinichi nodded. "You said it yourself. She's running out of time. I've been thinking that we need to start watching over her through the nighttime anyway. Besides, she can't see me. I'm in the perfect position to look out for her and gather intel. I'll keep looking for the journal and when I have a chance I'll bring it to you guys. You two just go and rest for now, you probably need it. I bet that whole experience just shaved a few years off of both of your lives," Shinichi added with a chuckle.

"You have no idea," Ryuta replied. "But thanks, man. Come on Takuya, let's get out of here before someone else spots us."

"Yeah." Then Takuya turned to Shinichi. "See you later, Shinichi." Then he and Ryuta walked off back to their own dorm.

'Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to her on my watch,' Shinichi thought to himself.

* * *

A/N: Destiny can be very cruel and unforgiving, will our young hero be able to stand against it and save the girl destined to die? Stay tuned for next time to find out.


	27. Chapter XXIV

A/N: Death is only the beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Persona_.

* * *

 **Chapter XXIV: In the end…**

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After school**

Realizing that nothing more could be done for now, Takuya and Ryuta decided to head back to their dorm and await Shinichi's eventual return. But before they could reach their rooms, the received yet another nasty surprise. As they climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, a noticeable chill began to fill the air.

Ryuta's teeth started to chatter. "Dude, do you feel that? It's like we're inside a walk-in freezer." He started to restlessly rub his arms in an effort to get them warm.

Takuya breathed out of his mouth and saw that he could clearly see his breath. His eyes immediately widened. "…! It's here again!"

"What? What's here?" Ryuta asked, and then his eyes widened as well when realization hit him. "…! Oh no, not again."

And then she appeared again. The near-death omen of Michiko Endou appeared at the top of the fourth flight of stairs. Her hanging body swung haphazardly as she gasped for breath. Omen Michiko began to plead for help just as the boys had seen her do the last few times they saw her. "Help…me. Help...me."

"…" Takuya and Ryuta watched on in horror as the omen played out.

"Please…help…me. Please…help…me," Omen Michiko kept whispering. "Rei-…suke," Omen Michiko uttered a name. Then she began to gargle; she was most likely choking from the stress of the rope noose against her windpipe. And her eyes were starting to shut. "Rei-…suke…I'm…sorry…" And then her eyes closed completely. Omen Michiko was dead once again. Then a few moments later, she disappeared once again. Soon the temperature in the room began to rise, and Takuya and Ryuta were left speechless at the events they had just witnessed.

A few minutes passed without either of the boys saying anything, until finally Ryuta broke the silence. "Hey, there's something that I've been thinking about since I first saw that thing the other day. And seeing it again just now, that curiosity's only grown."

"What is it?" Takuya asked.

"Why does she keep asking for help?" Ryuta asked.

"I don't understand," Takuya replied.

"I mean, it's kind of weird. I don't think she's talking to us, because she says the same thing over and over again. Haven't you noticed that?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya thought back on his two previous encounters with the omen. "Actually, come to think of it. You're right. What she says is word for word. It's like that moment just keeps replaying itself," Takuya replied.

"And that's my point. If that moment is replaying itself, then she has to be speaking to someone else in that exact moment we're seeing. And there's likely only one person who is going to be there with her when she dies," Ryuta replied.

"Her killer," Takuya answered.

Ryuta nodded. "Right, which means that she must be asking her killer to help her."

Takuya was confused. "Why would she try and ask her killer for help? Is she begging them to spare her?"

"If that was the case then I think she would actually be begging, but all she's doing is saying _'help me, help me'_. It has to mean something else." Ryuta thought about it for a second and then he made a suggestion. "What if we're interpreting the omen wrong?"

"How do you mean?" Takuya asked.

"Well think about it, we're only seeing this split moment of her encounter with her killer, the moment she dies. But there has to be more to it than that. We only have one piece of the puzzle. Who knows how many more pieces we're missing? Something…something's not right," Ryuta replied.

"If only we had something else to go on, we might be able to solve the puzzle then," Takuya replied. "Here's hoping that Shinichi can get us that journal. I just have a feeling that it can point us in the right direction."

"I hope you're right. I don't know exactly what Endou-senpai's gotten herself mixed up in but she doesn't deserve to die. If we have the power to stop this from happening, then we have to use it," Ryuta replied.

"I just hope we _can_ stop this from happening." Takuya frowned. "I don't want to see anyone else get hurt, because I was too weak to do anything about it."

"…" Ryuta frowned and then placed his hand on Takuya's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not going to go down like that. We're going to stop this. We _will_ stop this."

"I hope you're right," Takuya simply said.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After school**

Meanwhile, in the Student Council meeting room in the main school building, Akio Handa called for another one-on-one meeting with a fellow Student Council member. This time, he had a meeting with Fuyumi Miyazaki. Akio sat alone at an empty table while he waited for Fuyumi. Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Fuyumi walked in and shut the door behind her. "There you are, I was starting to get worried," said Akio.

"Sorry, I was trying to find Endou-senpai. I wanted to talk to her one last time before I came to see you," Fuyumi replied. Then she sighed. "But I couldn't find her anywhere. She just disappeared as soon as the bell rang."

"So what do you think?" Akio asked.

Fuyumi nodded. "You were right, Senpai," she replied. "Something is really bothering her. Even during lunch, she seemed to be so distant, it was like we were on two completely different worlds."

"So I wasn't just worrying over nothing?" Akio sighed. "This is just great. At a time like this, the Student Council has such a weak foundation. I don't get it; I didn't think Haruna Iwasaki's death would upset her this much. Endou-san's an emotional girl, don't get me wrong, but this is the first time I've ever seen her like this."

Fuyumi frowned. "But you have to admit, Iwasaki-san's death is just the latest in a long line of incidents. And no one works as hard as Endou-senpai. Maybe it's all just finally catching up to her?"

Akio shook his head. "No, this is something else." Akio looked down at the floor and then he sighed again. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything, but since you're the closest person to her on the Student Council, I think you have the right to know." Then Akio looked up at Fuyumi again. "After school on the day of Iwasaki-san's memorial service, I called Endou-san here and tried to talk to her about what she said during the service. She started shouting, she just wanted me to mind my own business but I kept on pushing. And…" Akio went silent, "…well to make a long story short, I ended up getting carried away and I ended up shouting back at her. I said some pretty awful things to her."

"…" Fuyumi silently listened to Akio's explanation.

Akio sighed again. "The point is; the way she was acting. She seemed more angry than sad. Maybe this isn't just about Iwasaki-san or Yousha Unmasked? Maybe there's something else that's eating her?" Akio asked.

Fuyumi thought to herself and then she came up with an idea. "If that's the case, then Owari-senpai might know something. How about I go and try to talk to her? The orchestra club's practice should be ending soon."

Akio nodded. "That's a good idea. If anybody can get Endou-san to talk about what's bothering her, it's Owari-san." Then he scoffed. "Though personally I've never really understood their friendship. They couldn't be more different. Endou-san has the top grades in our year, and Owari-san's are below average. Endou-san takes pride in everything related to our school, and I have to yell at Owari-san at least three times a week for her colossal number of uniform violations. Endou-san's kind to everyone, and Owari-san is only kind to those she wants on her good side. You've gone here longer than I have, do you know why those two even consort with each other?"

"Well from what I've heard from Endou-senpai, she had a rough time getting adjusted to life here at first. You know she came here through the orphanage program, right?" Fuyumi asked.

Akio nodded again. "Yeah, I'd heard that she was an orphan. I've never talked to her about it though."

"Well Owari-senpai came here through that program too. She transferred in just a short while before Endou-senpai did actually," Fuyumi replied.

Akio's eyes widened. "Huh? That I did not know." Then he sighed. "Dammit, now I feel bad for insulting her so much."

Fuyumi frowned. "Believe it or not, at first their personalities were pretty much the opposite of what they are right now. Endou-senpai was so shy and reserved, and Owari-senpai was really charismatic and outgoing. Endou-senpai told me that if weren't for Owari-senpai her life probably would've been very different."

"…" Akio was silent at first and then he replied, "In that case, Owari-san is definitely the person we need to talk to."

"Right," Fuyumi nodded and replied. "I'll go and talk to her, are you okay with waiting here, Senpai?"

"Actually, I have a meeting with the Headmaster after this, odds are he summoned Endou-san too so I might be able to get a word in with her," Akio replied. "I'll just hear everything from you tomorrow."

"No problem, give my grandfather my regards," Fuyumi replied, before turning to leave the room. But then she turned back to look at Akio one last time. "One more thing, Senpai. You said that you and Endou-senpai got into a fight the other day, but you weren't really clear what it was about."

"…" Akio was silent.

Fuyumi frowned again. "Senpai, you know, I don't just consider Endou-senpai a friend. I consider you a friend as well. So if there's anything you want to talk about, you can come to me if you'd like."

Akio sighed again. "Thanks Miyazaki-san, it's nothing though. Don't worry about it." Then he snickered. "But now that I think about it, there is one thing. I ran into your cousin this past Sunday."

"Yeah, he told me about that. Though the way he described it was that you waited for him outside of the restroom just to harass him," Fuyumi replied with a giggle.

Akio scoffed. "Be that as it may, it's my job as the head of the Disciplinary Committee to seek out any would-be rule breakers. I laid down the law of the land with him and told him that I'd give him a week to dye his hair back to black or else I would come and shave it all off. I've seen him around campus a few times since then, and he has yet to dye it. Tell him he has three more days to comply, or I'm getting my razor."

Fuyumi huffed. "I've already told my cousin about you, Senpai. You bark at people till you're blue in the face but you hardly ever really enforce those rules you're so proud of. I would appreciate it if you didn't pick on Takuya so much."

"And I'd appreciate it if you mind your own business," Akio replied in a cold tone. "You're the VP, and I'm the Disciplinarian. Harassing students is my job."

Fuyumi sighed in exasperation. "Why do you insist on keeping up with this charade? Your cold eyes and tone can't fool me, Senpai. By coming to me about Endou-senpai, you've shown your true colors. You really care about her, don't you?"

Akio blushed. "Sh-Shut up! I'm only doing what's best for the Student Council! And therefore, what's best for the school!"

"Yeah, yeah, geez you're as transparent as Takuya," Fuyumi replied. "You two would probably get along really well if you gave him the chance." Fuyumi moved to the door and opened it. "See you tomorrow, Senpai. And don't worry, we're going to help Endou-senpai." Then she left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Akio all alone.

Akio scoffed and rubbed the back of his head. "Care about her? Please. I'm just making sure she does her job." Then he sighed. "What am I even doing?" He looked down at the floor and frowned. "Aniki, what would you do if it were your friend in pain?"

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After school**

Meanwhile, deep inside Limbo. Ayuka Yamasato was beginning to awaken from her sleep. Ayuka slowly opened her eyes and then sat up. She rubbed her eyes and let out a soft yawn. "I must have fallen asleep," she said to herself. Then finally when her senses were awoken, she realized that she was now in a dark, empty, black void. Ayuka gasped and looked all around her person. There was nothing but darkness as far as her eyes could see. But for some reason she could still see her own hands in front of her. It was as if the only thing that was covered in darkness was her surroundings. "Where…? Where am I?" Ayuka asked out of fear. Her memories came flooding back to her. The last thing that she could remember was talking to Takuya in her brother's old hospital room, and then Takuya left and Ayuka began to silently cry out of despair, and then she heard... "…! The voice! That's the last thing I remember!" Ayuka held her head and tried to concentrate. "But what happened after that? How did I get here? Where is here?"

"Don't you recognize it? It's the place where your soul has been trapped for these past two years," a familiar voice suddenly called out to her.

Ayuka's eyes widened. "…! Who's there?!"

"You don't even recognize me? I find that hard to believe. After all, it's because of you that I'm stuck here as well," the voice replied. Suddenly the darkness began to fade and in its place a familiar room started to appear. It was Benzo's old hospital room, the same one that Ayuka had been inside of not that long ago. Only it looked a little different. It was more dimly lit and there appeared to be bundles of flowers placed all around the room. On closer inspection, they were revealed to be sunflowers, Ayuka and Benzo's favorite flower. Only these sunflowers appeared to have had the sun drained out of them. Some of them were wilting at an alarming rate, and others were already dead and decomposing. Ayuka was now sitting in a small chair that was seated in front of Benzo's hospital bed, and lying on top of Benzo's bed was a memorial portrait of Benzo himself that was decorated with beautiful white ribbons. Ayuka turned her attention to a figure who was adjusting a bundle of sunflowers next to Benzo's bed. When the figure was done with their task, they turned around and came closer to Ayuka so she could see their face.

And Ayuka was surprised to see that the figure was in fact, herself. "Y-You're me?!" Then Ayuka observed her other self more closely. She had the same complexion as her, and the same auburn hair tied back into a bun. Only this version of her was wearing a long, flowing mofuku kimono, a pair of white socks, a pair of black sandals, and a black veil. Ayuka also noticed her other self's eyes, they were a cloudy golden color. "No, you're…my Shadow, right?"

Shadow Ayuka nodded. "Yes, I am." Then she sadly smiled. "I'm glad we could finally meet. It's nice to have someone to talk to. I get so lonely here all by myself."

"So are we in Limbo right now?" Ayuka asked.

"You could say that," Shadow Ayuka replied. "But this area is only for the two of us. It's a special place that you created deep within your soul."

Ayuka looked around. "I…I created this place?"

"Mm-hm." Shadow Ayuka nodded and then turned her attention to another bundle of sunflowers. She walked over to them and began to adjust them. "And when you created this place, you also created me," she said without turning away from her work.

Ayuka stared at her Shadow in confusion. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm arranging the sunflowers," Shadow Ayuka replied. "Benzo's been getting weaker and weaker these days. But these sunflowers are sure to cheer him up. I can't wait to see him; it's been so long."

"…?" Ayuka was confused. She got up from her chair and then walked closer to the bed and stared at the memorial portrait. "I don't understand," she replied. Then she turned to face her Shadow. "Benzo is gone, you know that, don't you?"

"…" Shadow Ayuka stopped arranging the sunflowers. Then she simply scoffed. "Of course I know he's gone. The day he died was the day I was created. It would be pretty weird if I didn't know that he was dead."

"Then why are you acting like he's still alive?" Ayuka asked.

Shadow Ayuka continued arranging the sunflowers. "I don't know, you tell me. Why am I doing this?"

"…" Ayuka didn't respond.

"No, seriously. I want to know. Why am I still doing this? Why am I still acting like he's alive? Why can't I leave this room no matter how hard I try?" Shadow Ayuka replied.

Ayuka turned around and saw the door leading out of the hospital room. "What are you talking about? What do you mean you can't leave? The door is right there."

"What door?" Shadow Ayuka asked without turning around.

Ayuka turned back to face the door and was met with a surprising sight. A wall. "…!" The door was completely gone, almost like it was never there in the first place. Ayuka turned back to face her Shadow. "What did you do to the door?!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything. There is no door. There never was a door," Shadow Ayuka replied.

"Stop messing with me. I don't like it here, let me out right now," Ayuka replied.

Shadow Ayuka scoffed. "You really don't get it, do you? I don't have the power to let you leave this room. I don't even have the power to leave myself."

Ayuka's eyes widened. "What?"

"…" Shadow Ayuka stopped arranging the sunflowers again, and then turned back to face Ayuka. The girl saw that her Shadow now wore a sad smile on her face, and a tear began to roll down her right eye. "Don't you see? I can't leave this room. That's because, I'm a prisoner. I don't belong in the outside world. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be happy."

"…" Ayuka was silent.

"When Benzo died, you died too. You're just a walking, talking corpse at this point. There's no light within you. There hasn't been for a long time. The overwhelming depression you feel now, that is your prison. It's a prison of your making. One that you willingly locked yourself away in. Or I guess I should say, locked me away in," Shadow Ayuka explained.

"A prison?" Ayuka repeated the words in confusion.

Shadow Ayuka nodded. "A prison where I must atone for my greatest sin, loving my brother too much to let him go. Every second of every hour of every day, I remain here in this lonely, dark, cramped room, mindlessly arranging and then re-arranging the sunflowers that have already since perished, praying for my brother to return to me." Shadow Ayuka looked to the memorial portrait on the bed. "I can't mourn him properly; I just love him too much to move on from him. It wasn't his time, it should have been me instead, ideas like that flow through my head constantly. All I ever think about is Benzo. It consumed me, and so you imprisoned me here. You felt like the only way you could ever truly be happy again was if you locked away your despair. So I've been here ever since, being punished for my sin." Shadow Ayuka looked up at Ayuka. "And now my other half, it looks like it's your turn to be punished. You will remain here forever and ever."

Ayuka started to back away from her Shadow. "No, stop it," Ayuka replied, beginning to tear up. "Make it stop. Just leave me alone."

"I have no power here. I've already told you this. The only one who has any real power here is you. You're the only one who can free yourself from this prison." Shadow Ayuka picked one of the dying sunflowers and then held it close to her. "But you don't think you deserve to be free from this place. You don't deserve to be happy. You don't deserve to live."

"…" Ayuka silently crouched down to the floor and began to shiver, as a look of pure hopelessness overtook her face.

"Loving our brother is our sin, and we deserve to be punished for it," Shadow Ayuka replied. "That's what your soul says anyway. I know you're scared but look on the bright side, at least neither of us will be alone anymore." Shadow Ayuka sadly smiled.

Ayuka's tears wouldn't let up. "T-Takuya, help me," Ayuka muttered to herself. "Please, help me."

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After school**

Ikumi Komaeda spent another productive day alone in her dorm room, glued to her computer screen. She got up from her swivel chair to stretch her arms and her legs. Then she looked at the time. "Wow, it's almost 16:00," Ikumi said to herself. "Must have lost track of time." Ikumi's stomach started to growl. "Oh that's right, I skipped lunch." Ikumi turned to the back corner of her room and grabbed a well-balanced meal of potato chips and cola from a small fridge and pantry. "Not the most satisfying meal but it's protein and I don't feel like going out today." Ikumi sighed. "I've got to get my own microwave, then I can stock up on bulk ramen." Ikumi sat back down in her chair and then began to devour her long overdue lunch.

A knock at the door interrupted her. "It's me, I've got your printouts," a familiar voice replied.

"Door's unlocked," Ikumi replied.

A moment later, the door opened and Gabe Gonçalves walked into the room and shut the door behind it. He placed the printouts of today's lessons on Ikumi's bed and then joined her at her computer. "So how was your day?"

"Very productive," Ikumi replied while munching on her potato chips. "I gamed, blogged a little, gamed some more, blogged a little more, and right now I'm surfing different stores' websites for deals on merch for when I hit Akiba this weekend." Ikumi stuffed her face with some more potato chips before motioning to her large figurine case next to her bed. There had to have been at least a hundred different figurines in the case. "Ma childawen haf ben saiyan dave ben getin ronerly," Ikumi said while her mouth was full of potato chips.

"First of all, don't talk with your mouth full, that's just plain bad manners. Secondly, you realize you are like the worst kind of NEET, don't you?" Gabe replied.

Ikumi rolled her eyes. "Okay, mom!"

Gabe sighed. "Seriously, you've got to get out of your room every now and then. And not just when you force yourself to go to class, or when you go into town to buy more junk."

"I have perfect grades despite only going to class part-time, and I already have a high-paying career despite only being in high school," Ikumi replied. "So technically, I'm not a NEET. I'm more like NEET-adjacent. I like who I am, so can't you just love me for who I am, mom?"

Gabe sighed. "Okay, I get it. Just stop calling me mom already."

Ikumi smiled at her victory and then drank some of her cola. "James-kun's not coming today?" Ikumi asked when she put her cola back down.

"He has club practice on Thursdays, remember?" Gabe replied.

"Oh that's right," Ikumi replied. Then she giggled. "Who would have thought that someone as downright evil as him would care about the musical arts?"

Gabe shook his head. "Personally, I don't think he really cares. It's probably just another angle he's playing. Speaking of clubs though, I've heard that some kids are starting up a literature club. That might be worth looking into."

Ikumi scoffed. "Please, any club that has as broad a definition as _literature_ , has no idea what they're doing. That club will be disbanded before it even begins."

"Well I think if you joined you might be able to point them in the right direction. I think they'd find it cool to know that someone their age is already a published author," Gabe replied.

"That's sweet of you to say, but according to all the _critics_ …" Ikumi replied using air quotes, "…out there, light novels aren't real books."

Gabe scowled. "You write and illustrate them yourself, you have an editor who gets them published, and you get paid to do it. How exactly is your job any different from that of authors of other genres?"

Ikumi shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me, but those so-called _critics_ only make up a 1% of the 1% of the other haters of my series. The rest of my fans are so supportive and loving. So let the haters hate. It's all those talentless clouts know how to do."

Gabe sighed in exasperation. "If you don't get bummed out by that kind of stuff then why even bother bringing it up?"

Ikumi giggled. "Because it's fun to see how concerned you get."

"Geez," Gabe replied. "Speaking of your series, have you finished the latest volume yet? You remember that your deadline is next week, right?"

"No worries, no worries," Ikumi replied. "I just have one more chapter to go. I should finish with plenty of time to spare. But before I submit it to my editor I need someone to proof-read it. How would you like to be my little helper again?"

"No thanks, I've already told you, Romantic-Comedies and Slice of Life are not my thing. Now if you want to start a new series that's either Western, Sci-Fi, or Fantasy in genre. Then count me in," Gabe replied.

"Come on, you've proof-read for me before," Ikumi replied.

"And every moment of it was excruciating. Seriously, your stuff is borderline hentai," Gabe replied.

Ikumi sighed. "That's a shame, I was thinking about stopping by a trading card shop when I went to Akiba this weekend."

"…!" Gabe's eyes widened.

"That new MTG expansion pack comes out this weekend too, doesn't it?" Ikumi replied. "Who knows? Maybe I would've splurged and bought my bestie all the new cards, but if he isn't willing to help me in my hour of need then why should I spend my money on him?"

Gabe bowed his head. "Please allow me to be of service in any way I can."

Ikumi giggled. "You're so easy to manipulate, Gabe-kun." And then Ikumi was surprised when she could see her own breath. "…!" Her eyes widened in surprise.

And then she appeared again. The near-death omen of Michiko Endou appeared hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Her hanging body swung haphazardly as she gasped for breath. Omen Michiko began to plead for help just as the two Reapers had seen her do the last few times they saw her. "Help…me. Help...me."

"…" Ikumi and Gabe watched on in horror as the omen played out.

"Please…help…me. Please…help…me," Omen Michiko kept whispering. "Rei-…suke," Omen Michiko uttered a name. Then she began to gargle; she was most likely choking from the stress of the rope noose against her windpipe. And her eyes were starting to shut. "Rei-…suke…I'm…sorry…" And then her eyes closed completely. Omen Michiko was dead once again. Then a few moments later, she disappeared once again. Soon the temperature in the room began to rise, and Ikumi and Gabe were left speechless at the events they had just witnessed.

A few moments later, Gabe broke the silence. "That's the second time today that I've seen her."

"It's the third time for me," Ikumi replied with a small frown. "And it just creeps up on you without any warning. I don't think I'll ever be used to it."

"It's not a thing that you should get used to," Gabe replied. "The fact that you still feel horrified from seeing it, that's a good thing."

Ikumi thought of something. "Sin-kun and the others, they have to be able to see them too, right? How do you think they're coping with them?"

Gabe shook his head. "I'm not sure, they don't know everything we know so they're probably just guessing at things. But odds are they've picked up on what the omens are at least."

"I still don't really get it either, if there's no point in trying to save the people who appear in the omens, then why do they even appear in the first place? What's the point of the omens?" Ikumi asked.

Gabe shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know, either. In the end, we know just a little bit more than Sin Eater and the other Reapers. There's still so much all of us don't know. I don't think we'll ever fully understand the rules and inner workings of Limbo."

"All I know is, right now it feels like we're at the mercy of that place. It takes whatever or whoever it wants, and there's nothing we can do about it. What's the point of having these powers if you can't use them to save people?" Ikumi asked.

Gabe sighed. "I wish I knew, I really do."

"…" Ikumi seemed to be down.

Gabe decided to give her some good news to cheer her up. "By the way, I saw Sin Eater again," he said.

Ikumi perked up a little. "You did?"

"Yeah, I did. He seemed a little stronger too, I guess taking out those two other Berserk Shadows was quite a learning experience for him," Gabe replied. "I saw one of the other Reapers he gathered too. He's a weird one. Apparently, he has the same power that Bloody Mary does. But he has a unique ability too; he became a ghost."

"A ghost?" Ikumi replied in confusion. "You mean like an actual ghost?"

Gabe shook his head. "Nah, definitely not. We've seen what the ghosts are like, remember? The only ones that are even aware of their situation are the Shadow Spirits. Other than that they're completely motionless. This new guy, Phantasm. His ghost shtick is probably just the doing of his eyes. Prospero will definitely be interested in him."

"So what were they doing in Limbo anyway?" Ikumi asked.

"Looking for that girl," Gabe replied. "Apparently they figured out that she got taken to Limbo, then I showed up and just confirmed things for them. I didn't want to give them false hope."

"Ah, of course. Saving the princess, how noble," Ikumi replied. Then she giggled. "Just like Sin-kun." She smiled. "He's a really interesting guy. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next."

Gabe smiled. 'From the sound of it, you might be interested in him for another reason,' he thought to himself. Then he snickered.

"What's so funny?" Ikumi asked.

"Nothing," Gabe replied.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, After school**

Akio reported to the Headmaster's office after his conversation with Fuyumi. He knocked on the door to Hiroshi's office and Hiroshi simply responded, "Enter."

Akio opened the door and then shut it behind him, then he walked up to Hiroshi's desk and addressed him. "You wanted to see me, Headmaster Miyazaki?" Akio asked.

"Ah, Handa-san, I'm glad you were able to respond on such short notice. I apologize for the abrupt meeting, but I needed to address you as soon as possible," Hiroshi replied.

"It's fine, Sir," Akio replied. "I didn't have anything else to do this afternoon anyway." Akio frowned. "But your request sounded really urgent. Sorry to be so abrupt, Sir, but what's this all about?" Akio looked around and noticed the distinct lack of another head member of the Student Council. "And where's Endou-san? The only time you've ever come just to me with an important issue was when Haruna Iwasaki died, and that was only because you couldn't find Endou-san at the time."

Hiroshi sighed. "That's partially what I want to talk to you about. My assistant told me that Endou-san stopped by my office earlier while I was out. And apparently she left this behind." Hiroshi handed a folded piece of paper to Akio.

Akio unfolded the paper and then read over the contents that were written on it. They were surprising to say the least. Akio's eyes widened "…! This is…!" Akio looked up to Hiroshi. "Sir, is this true?!"

"As far as I can tell, yes it is. I found it hard to believe at first as well. But that is indeed Endou-san's signature at the bottom. And Akagi-san knows Endou-san, and she insists that she delivered this herself. I wanted to know. Did Endou-san hint that she was planning this? To you or anyone else on the Student Council to your knowledge?" Hiroshi asked.

Akio shook his head. "No, not at all. This is a complete surprise." He sighed. "I really don't know what's going on with her. She's just been acting really out of character lately."

Hiroshi sighed. "Well, that poor girl has been through a lot lately. She had the misfortune of being dealt with this Yousha Unmasked scandal on her term as Student Council President, and I imagine Iwasaki-san's death is weighing particularly heavy on her. She is the president of the orchestra club as well after all. Now that I think about it, it's not that hard to believe that she's become overwhelmed."

"Still though, she's resigning?" Akio replied. "It's just not like her to give up like this. There has to be something else going on here."

"Be that is it may, if this is Endou-san's decision, we must accept it," Hiroshi replied with and added sigh. "I'll make an official announcement to the faculty tomorrow. And I'm going to ask that you do the same for the students."

Akio sighed. "I understand. But what are we going to do? The Student Council doesn't have a president anymore."

"I too think that Endou-san is making a hasty decision. We'll hold the position open for a little while, and nominate someone to act as an interim president." Hiroshi locked eyes with Akio. "Handa-san, I know that you're quite busy already but do you think you would be up to the task?"

"M-Me, Sir?" Akio replied. "But Miyazaki-san is the Vice-President, I'm just in charge of the Disciplinary Committee. Wouldn't she be better qualified for the job?"

Hiroshi sighed and folded his arms. "Fuyumi is a bright and courageous young girl, but I don't think she's quite ready to be a leader yet. The position of Student Council President, especially at a school like this, is a very demanding job to say the least. And after seeing just how drained Endou-san became from it, I don't want my granddaughter to face that kind of pressure. Believe you me, I'm not trying to show favoritism, I just want to protect her. So do you mind if I ask you for this somewhat selfish favor, Handa-san?"

"…" Akio was silent at first but then he nodded in understanding. "I understand, Sir. I'll take the reins for now, but I want you to know, this is only temporary. I'm just keeping Endou-san's seat warm for her. I'll do everything I can to get her to come back."

Hiroshi smiled. "You're a good friend to her. I'm glad that my granddaughter has a senpai like you to learn from."

Akio blushed, clearly he wasn't that used to being complimented. "Y-You flatter me, Sir."

Then Hiroshi frowned. "Now about the other thing I called you here for, we may have another problem on our hands. I trust you know about Yousha Unmasked's latest update."

Akio nodded. "Yes, Sir. I saw it this morning. This time the target was another girl in Endou-san's club, Ayuka Yamasato."

"Yes, Yamasato-san. She's a sweet young girl, I've had the pleasure of talking to her several times. And it pains me to see her being labeled as a pariah as well." Then Hiroshi sighed again. "And I'm afraid I have some even more dire news about her that I need you to address the students about as well. Consider it your first job as acting Student Council President. I'm sorry, I couldn't give you a lighter one."

"Why? What exactly happened to Yamasato-san?" Akio asked.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Evening**

Takuya and Ryuta returned to their separate dorm rooms to await the expected arrival of Shinichi. Currently, Takuya was sitting at his desk, trying to keep his mind occupied by studying for tomorrow's classes and completing his homework. Though this proved to be a difficult task as when he was making decent progress, he found his mind drifting to the events of his "extra-curricular" activities. Michiko's impending death, her odd behavior, and the journal that she was keeping hidden; Ayuka's entrapment in Limbo, her growing depression, and the horror of what might happen if her inner darkness wasn't quelled; and of course all the other mysteries that he had been confronted with since his first visit to the Velvet Room, just a few short days ago. There were simply too many things on his mind for him to focus on anything else. Takuya's cellphone vibrated and he sighed in exasperation. "Again?"

Ryuta had been texting Takuya on and off for the past three hours. Clearly, he was getting really antsy as well. Takuya picked up his phone and checked his most recent text. It read: _Is Shinichi back yet?_

Takuya simply texted back: _Not since you texted me ten minutes ago._

Then a few moments later, Ryuta texted back: _Sorry, I just can't think about anything else. If what we saw today told us anything, it's that we're running out of time fast._

Takuya texted back: _Then why don't you just come over here and wait? That way you'll know right away when Shinichi gets here._

Takuya didn't receive another text, but he did hear the distinct sound of someone scurrying around in a panic next door. Then the next moment, there was an excited knock at the door. Takuya got up to go open the door for his guest, knowing who it was right away. As soon as he opened it, Ryuta walked into the room and sat down on Takuya's bed. "By all means, come in, don't be a stranger," Takuya said in a sarcastic tone and then he shut the door.

"Sorry, dude. I know I'm being a tad annoying," Ryuta replied.

"Annoying? No, of course not," Takuya replied in a sarcastic tone.

"I just can't think about anything else right now," Ryuta replied. Then he spied Takuya's desk. "Still at it, eh? Yeah, I gave up halfway through my homework. I wasn't making any real progress anyway."

Takuya sighed. "Yeah, same here. To be honest, I've got a one track mind too. But our worrying isn't going to make Shinichi come any faster." He rubbed the back of his head. "Look maybe we should take a break from our break. It's close to dinner time, and I don't know about you but I'm getting pretty hungry. What do you say we go down to the dining hall and get something to eat? We can leave a note for Shinichi to let him know where we went in case he comes back before us."

Ryuta's stomach growled in affirmation of that plan, and he blushed slightly. "I think that's a good idea," he said in a meek tone. "Maybe some food will ease my mind…and my stomach."

"Alright, let me grab a pencil and some paper and then we can head out," Takuya replied. A few minutes later, Takuya and Ryuta were exiting Takuya's dorm room.

"Man, what is taking Shinichi so long anyway?" Ryuta asked. "How difficult is it to steal a journal? He's freaking invisible for crying out loud."

"True, but it's a different story if she has it in her view. Her journal suddenly disappearing right before her eyes might cause her to act unpredictably. It's the same reason why he can't just go rummaging around her room if she still has it hidden. Even a ghost has to be aware of their presence," Takuya replied.

Then suddenly the door to Room 454, the dorm room directly opposite of Takuya's, opened up and caused both Takuya and Ryuta to jump out of surprise. A familiar silver-haired boy exited his room and closed his door behind him, and then he locked eyes with the other two boys.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta were both silent.

"…" as was Tenshi.

Takuya couldn't take the awkward silence any longer. "Hey, Tenshi," he called out to the boy, recalling his odd name. "It's been a few days, how have you been?" he asked in an awkward tone.

Tenshi scoffed. "It doesn't really matter. My life need not concern you."

"Oh, cool, cool," Takuya replied with an added sweatdrop. "Umm, listen. Ryuta and I are heading to the dining hall to grab some dinner. Any chance you want to come with us?"

"I'm busy," Tenshi replied before suddenly walking off.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta silently watched the silver-haired boy leave.

Then when Tenshi was out of sight, Ryuta began to speak. "Huh, kind of a rare occurrence to actually see that guy coming and going. How do you know him?" he asked Takuya.

"I don't really, I've just run into him a few times before," Takuya replied. "I only just learned his name, or at least what he claims is his name, the last time."

"Well his real name isn't Tenshi, that's for sure. That's Haise Yuki," Ryuta replied.

"Haise Yuki? What do you know about him?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

Ryuta shrugged his shoulders. "Not much," he replied. "Nobody really does for that matter. He transferred here, sometime back in junior high, I think. And he's been here ever since. The guy's basically a ghost." Ryuta chuckled. "As a matter of fact, some people call him the Ghost of Yousha because he just wanders around aimlessly all the time."

"The Ghost of Yousha?" Takuya repeated the words in confusion.

"A guy with silver hair who aimlessly wanders around the school grounds, what else are you gonna call him?" Ryuta replied. Then his stomach growled again. "Look, don't pay him any mind. He's just some weirdo who lives across the hall from us. Besides, we've already got one ghost to deal with."

"True," Takuya replied with an added chuckle.

"I'm starving, let's just go eat already," Ryuta replied.

"After you," Takuya replied, motioning for Ryuta to take the lead. Ryuta did so, and the two boys hurried off to the campus dining hall to have dinner.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Evening**

Meanwhile, Michiko was at her computer and was busying mindlessly typing away something, and Shinichi was busy keeping an eye on her. As that was going on, someone was knocking on the door to Michiko's room every half minute. This had been going on for roughly an hour and Michiko had not once gotten up to go answer the door. "Geez, they've been at it forever," Shinichi said to himself. Then he looked to Michiko. "They're clearly not going to go away. Can you just open the door for them already?"

"…" Michiko was silent while she continued to type.

Shinichi sighed. "Guess not. Well what are you up to that's so important anyway?" Shinichi looked over Michiko's shoulder to get a good look at her screen. He saw that Michiko had her email account opened and was currently typing up an email to some unknown party. The contents of the email read as follows: _I did what you asked. I looked into Iwasaki-chan's suicide myself and discovered the truth. You were right, someone in my club is responsible for this. And even after all that's happened they still do not show any sign of coming forward and admitting their guilt. I can't come forward myself for personal reasons which you probably understand, so I want to know if you'll take care of it. I'll give you all the information you need to take them down. I've been taking notes of everything I've learned so far, it should be more than enough for you to do what you do best. If you do this for me, I'll look the other way from now on. You can be free to do as you please. All I ask is that you leave my name out of things going forward. And please do not contact me again after this is over. Do we have a deal?_

"What in the hell?" Shinichi muttered.

And then Michiko sent the email to her unknown correspondent. And it was only a minute before the other person responded. Their email read: _Not a problem. I tend to be very discreet with these things, in case you haven't noticed already. You have my word, none of this will get back to you. I have no qualms with you, Endou-san. You're one of the good ones in my book. To keep matters simple, let's not meet in person and instead use a drop off point. Come to the courtyard after lights out and leave the notes you've taken under the bench marked with an X. Then I'll come and retrieve it myself. Quick and easy. And don't worry, I won't contact you again. – GM_

Michiko read over the email again and then looked down at her desk, where her journal was resting in front of her. Her lip quivered. "If I do this, it's all over for her. This might ruin the chances she has of getting into any art school. And even then, Senpai might still stick by her. I could end up hurting them both."

"Whatever it is you're about to do, if you're questioning it now then that means you shouldn't do it," Shinichi replied, pretending that Michiko could hear him.

"I wish I could just stop feeling this way. I want to be happy for them. She's my best friend after all, she's found true love," Michiko said to herself.

Shinichi's eyes widened. "…! I…I see. So that's what this is all about?"

"But every single time I look at them, or even think about them, from now on. It'll probably feel just as bad as this, if not worse. It's almost like someone's jammed a knife into my heart and they just won't stop twisting it." Tears began to roll down her eyes. "It hurts so much. So much so that it's almost hard to breathe. I hate this. I hate this jealousy, this betrayal. It's all too much!" Michiko exclaimed as she slammed her fist down upon her desk.

"…" Shinichi stayed silent as he listened to Michiko's woe.

"Maybe, just maybe if doing this hurts just a little less than the pain I'm feeling right now. Then it might be all worth it." Michiko looked back up at her computer screen. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Yurika. I'm sorry, Senpai. But I can't…I just can't watch as you two leave me behind. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be alone ever again." She started typing up a reply to the email. Her reply read: _Okay, I'll be there._ And then she sent it.

And a minute later, another reply came. It read: _Excellent. Don't worry, you're doing the right thing, Endou-san. – GM_

Michiko took a deep breath and forced herself to stop crying. "You've just sold your soul, Michiko. I hope you can obtain happiness like this," she said to herself.

Shinichi gave Michiko a concerned look. "I can't let her do, whatever it is she's about to do. I've got to stop her, if not to save her from being killed, then to prevent her from doing something that she's going to regret for the rest of her life. However long that may be."

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Evening**

Fuyumi walked down the fifth floor hallway of the girls' dorm. Her destination, Yurika Owari's dorm room. "Owari-senpai had already left club practice by the time I got there," she said to herself. "Hopefully, she went back to her dorm room. I really have to talk with her about Endou-senpai." Yurika's dorm room was at the very end of the hallway. Fuyumi recalled this from a brief encounter she had with her two senpai not that long ago. But as it turned out, Fuyumi didn't have to go that far to find Yurika. She was out in the middle of the hallway, and was currently knocking on the door to one of the other dorm rooms.

"Come on. I know you're in there. Please, can we just talk for one minute?" Yurika said to the occupant of the room. "I need to set things straight."

"…" she was met with silence.

Then Yurika knocked again. "Please? I don't want things to stay this way between us."

"Owari-senpai?" Fuyumi muttered in confusion.

"…!" The older girl jumped at the sound of her name being called. Then she turned around to face Fuyumi. "F-Fuyumi-chan?"

"You're just the person I wanted to talk to," Fuyumi replied as she came closer to Yurika.

"Me? You wanted to talk to me?" Yurika replied in confusion.

Fuyumi nodded. "I tried to catch you after your club practice. But you had already left before I arrived. Luckily, I found you here. Are you free to talk now, Senpai?"

Yurika looked unnerved. "Umm, now's not really a good time. I'm kind of in the middle of something." She looked out of the corner of her eye, in the direction of the room she was pacing in front of. Room 515.

Fuyumi followed Yurika's gaze and her eyes landed on the room as well. "This is Endou-senpai's room, isn't it?" Fuyumi looked back at Yurika. "So you're trying to talk to her too, huh?"

"…" Yurika frowned.

Fuyumi matched Yurika's frown. "Senpai? I actually wanted to ask you if you know anything about Endou-senpai's behavior lately. But it looks like you already know far more than I do. Did something happen between the two of you?"

Yurika sighed and then looked at the floor. "She hasn't spoken a single word to me since Monday. She's dodging my calls, ignoring my texts, and just plain avoiding me," she explained. "We've gotten into fights before; I mean we've been best friends for years. It would be kind of weird if we never fought, right?" Then she began to rub her left arm with her opposite hand. "But this time is different. I think I did a really bad thing to her. And now I'm not really sure what to do to make it up to her."

"So that's the reason why Endou-senpai's been acting so odd? You two are having a fight?" Fuyumi replied.

"That might be one reason why," Yurika replied.

"If I may ask, what exactly happened?" Fuyumi asked.

Yurika avoided the question. "It's…complicated, let's just leave it at that."

Fuyumi's frown deepened. "Senpai, you and Endou-senpai are never going to get past this fight, whatever it was about, if you don't deal with it properly. I can help you two out if you want."

Yurika groaned. "Look, just leave it alone, okay? It's none of your business. We'll work this out on our own somehow."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Fuyumi muttered before Yurika cut her off.

"Whatever, just…just leave me alone. I've been trying to talk to Michiko for an hour now, I'm not in the mood to do anything else," Yurika replied before turning around and heading in the direction of her own dorm room. "Oh, and I wouldn't bother trying to talk to Michiko yourself. It looks like she's in no mood to talk to anyone right now."

"Senpai," Fuyumi called out after Yurika.

"…" Yurika didn't respond and simply made her way to the end of the hall. Then she went into her own dorm room and slammed the door behind her. The sound echoed throughout the empty hallway.

"…" Fuyumi looked towards the end of the hall, and then she turned back to face Michiko's door. Then she sighed in exasperation. "It looks like things are much more complicated than we thought, Handa-senpai." Realizing, that there was nothing more she could do, Fuyumi decided to simply return to her own dorm room.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Evening**

After a few minutes of silence, Michiko turned her swivel chair around to face the door. "Looks like she's gone now," she said to herself. Then she began to tear up again. "Yurika, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could change the way I feel, but I can't. I just can't." Then she didn't even try to stop the tears. Michiko cried into her hands at full force, not caring if anyone heard her or not.

"…" Shinichi silently watched over the tortured girl as she cried. Then his attention turned to the journal sitting on the desk behind her. "If I'm going to do anything to stop her, now's the time to do it," he said to himself. While Michiko was distracted, he crept over to the desk and then picked up the journal. Then he slowly made his way over to the door, making sure that Michiko didn't accidentally see her journal floating in mid-air.

"I have to get this to the guys. If this thing contains the information she was talking about, then there's sure to be a ton of clues inside about what's going on in her life," Shinichi said to himself. Shinichi was just a few centimeters away from the door, and then suddenly he stopped. "Huh?" Shinichi muttered. Then suddenly he was blinded by darkness.

* * *

 **Thursday, 4/17 20XX, Night**

It had been over six hours since Takuya and Ryuta entrusted Shinichi with the task of retrieving Michiko's journal, and he still hadn't returned. The other two boys returned from the dining hall two hours beforehand and were surprised to see that Shinichi was still not back yet. So they both decided to wait in Takuya's room for their ghost friend's eventual arrival. Before they knew it, it was almost 22:00.

"Where is he? He's been gone way too long," said Ryuta.

"It has been a while," Takuya replied. "Maybe he couldn't find the journal? Or maybe something else came up and he couldn't get away? Should we should go check on him?"

Ryuta shook his head. "We can't. Live-in students aren't allowed outside of the dorms after dark. We could try and sneak out, but even then we'd have to sneak into the girls' dorm. And that's easier said than done." Ryuta broke out in cold sweat. "Thanks, but I don't have a death wish."

"You're forgetting we have other means of getting around," Takuya replied. "We can take a shortcut through Limbo."

"Would we even be able to find the girls' dorm in there?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya nodded. "Not all of Limbo is like the place you were kept. Most of it is mirrored after our own world. Besides the color and creepy ambience, the only real thing that's different is that everything is in reverse. We should be able to find it, we just have to avoid the Shadows and then go in the opposite direction that we headed in last time, and we should reach it no problem."

Ryuta smiled. "Alright, I'm game. Let's go check on ghost boy," he replied.

Takuya nodded, and then he walked up to his dorm room's door. He raised his right arm up to the key hole on the doorknob, and then suddenly his skeleton key tattoo reappeared on his right arm. The tattoo glowed a bright exuberant blue from underneath his uniform's sleeve. Takuya angled his arm so that the key lined up with the keyhole. But then something unexpected happened; instead of the key opening a door to Limbo, it began to flicker, much like a bad lightbulb. And then the key just stopped glowing altogether, and the tattoo disappeared. "Huh?" Takuya muttered in confusion. "What the heck? It didn't work." This was the first time the skeleton key hadn't unlocked a door to Limbo. Takuya was perplexed as to the cause of this strange phenomenon.

"Let me try, your's might just need a recharge," Ryuta replied. "I should be able to do it too, right?" he asked. Takuya nodded and then motioned for Ryuta to try and use his key. Like Takuya did before, Ryuta raised his right arm up to the key hole on the doorknob, and then suddenly his skeleton key tattoo appeared on his right arm. The tattoo glowed a mystifying purple from underneath his dress shirt's sleeve. Ryuta angled his arm so that the key lined up with the keyhole. And then just like Takuya's had done before, Ryuta's key began to flicker and then just stopped glowing altogether, and then the skeleton key tattoo disappeared. "What the…? Mine's not working either. I'm not doing it wrong, am I?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya shook his head. "No, neither of our keys are working. Maybe it's the door we're using?" Takuya guessed. "Come on, let's go to your room and try it." Then Takuya and Ryuta headed next door to try out their keys on Ryuta's door. But again, neither of their keys unlocked a door to Limbo. Then they decided to try out their keys on various doors throughout the dorm. But no door would open to Limbo. Eventually, they gave up and headed back to Takuya's room. "I don't get it. Why isn't it working?" Takuya asked rhetorically.

"It's definitely not the doors; unless every door in the whole dorm doesn't respond to the keys. Which seems pretty unlikely," Ryuta replied. "So there has to be a problem with the keys themselves."

"But what exactly?" Takuya replied. "I've used the key a few times before and it's always worked. Why isn't it working now?"

Ryuta shrugged his shoulders. "Throw it on the huge pile of questions we have already. We just don't know that much about all of this stuff yet, there's no way we can get around that learning curve without experience," he replied.

Takuya sighed. "I guess, you're right. And I guess that means until we figure it out, we won't be able to go see Shinichi."

Ryuta checked his phone. "And we spent about an hour running around the dorm, and testing the keys out. It's almost 23:00." He sighed. "I don't think Shinichi's coming."

"Seriously, what happened to him?" Takuya asked.

"He probably just decided to stay with Endou-senpai. With all that's happened in the past few days I bet we're just getting worried over nothing," Ryuta replied.

Takuya sighed. "You're probably right. Odds are he'll just show up in the morning. If not, then we can go looking for him."

"Sounds like a plan," Ryuta replied. Then he yawned. "In the meantime, I think we should hit the sack. We'll think better when we're well rested."

Takuya nodded. "Okay, good night. See you in the morning," he replied.

Ryuta headed for the door and simply replied, "Night," and exited the room.

"Guess I should get ready for bed too," Takuya said to himself. Then he spied Shinichi's sleeping bag on the floor. "Huh. It's kind of weird not having Shinichi here." He rubbed the back of his head. "I really hope he's okay." Takuya just couldn't shake this bad feeling he had deep in the pit of his stomach. He sighed. "Ryuta's right, I'm worrying too much." But he swallowed his apprehension and prepared for bed none the less.

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Early Morning**

It was a little past 6:00 in the morning when Takuya's fears came to light. Most clubs didn't meet before morning classes, so the arts and clubs building was pretty barren for the most part. However, two members of the orchestra club had just arrived unexpectedly, a boy and a girl. "Thank you so much for doing this, Senpai," the girl said to the boy. "That ring is a family heirloom. My parents would've freaked if I lost it."

"Technically, you did lose it," the boy replied with a sweatdrop.

"Not really, I remember where I left it. I had just forgotten to put it back on after practice," the girl replied.

The boy sighed. "Well lucky for you, I had one of the spare keys, but just be quick about getting your ring, okay? I have a quiz in Homeroom that I haven't even studied for yet, so I need as much free time as possible."

"No worries, if my memory's correct, I put it in the top left drawer of the teacher's desk for safe keeping," the girl replied.

The boy snickered. "A lot of good that did, since you forgot you left it there."

The girl huffed. "Don't be mean, Senpai."

"Yeah, yeah," the boy replied. Finally, the two students reached the orchestra clubroom. Then the boy inserted his key into the door's lock and pushed open the door. "Be quick about it," he said to the girl.

"Got it," the girl replied before entering the room to retrieve her ring. But in the next moment, that task was completely forgotten about. As she was bombarded with something so horrifying that her whole mind went blank. "Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the girl shrieked. Her cry echoed throughout the whole building.

"What's wrong?!" the boy shouted as he ran into the clubroom. There he found the girl, collapsed on the floor, shaking like a leaf, while her eyes were glued wide open. Then the boy turned in the direction of the girl's line of sight and he saw a disturbing and terrifying sight. "What the hell?!" Another girl was in the clubroom. A dead girl. She was strung up by a rope that looped around a pipe that jutted out from the ceiling. A chair was toppled over underneath her, and her lifeless corpse was slowly swinging back and forth. A few moments passed before the boy calmed down and assessed the situation. He got a better look at the girl in question. She was wearing Yousha's uniform so it was unmistakable that she was a student here; and she had long, orangeish-brown hair, and wore a ladybug-shaped barrette. That was when the boy realized that he knew this girl. This was Michiko Endou, Student Council President and president of their club. "E-Endou-san?" the boy muttered in horror.

"E-Endou-senpai?" the other girl repeated.

The boy turned to face the girl again. "Nanami-san, go find a teacher. I'll stay here with…her."

The girl had tears in her eyes. "But Senpai…"

"Go now!" the boy exclaimed.

"…" The girl nodded through her tears and forced herself up onto her feet. Then she ran out of the clubroom as fast as she could to go find a teacher like the boy had requested.

The boy looked back at Michiko's corpse. "Th-This has to be some sort of mistake. This can't be real." But no matter what thought ran through the boy's head, cold, hard reality crushed it. In the end, Michiko Endou died just as she was destined to. It appeared that the other Reapers were correct. Death is unavoidable.

* * *

A/N: It appears that the girl's fate was indeed unavoidable. But who could have predicted that it would happen this fast? And what of our young heroes? How exactly will they deal with this unexpected turn of events? Stay tuned to find out.


	28. Chapter XXV

A/N: Death is only the beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Persona_.

* * *

 **Chapter XXV: The girl who couldn't be saved**

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

That same morning at the Yamasato household, the Yamasatos themselves were facing every parent's worst nightmare. The disappearance of their child. Two police cars were parked outside of the house, and a throng of police officers were inside the house searching and examining everything. They were led by a single detective. A young woman with short lavender hair and doe brown colored eyes. She wore a dark gray pantsuit, complete with an open dark gray dress jacket, a white blouse, a pair of dark gray pants, and a pair of dark gray loafers. She also had a holstered gun that was strapped to her right hip, and she was currently holding a notepad and writing down bits of important information. While the police officers were inspecting every nook and cranny of the house, the detective sat down in a chair in the living room, opposite of the Yamasatos who sat on their living room couch. Ayuka's mother, Akari Yamasato, was looking down at the floor. She wore an expression of pure catatonic shock on her face. She was also wearing the same outfit that she was wearing on Wednesday. While Ayuka's father, Satoru Yamasato held onto her and did his best to comfort his wife. Satoru was a stern-faced man, who had short black hair, and gray eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular glasses; he wore a white dress shirt with a salmon colored tie, a pair of dark gray pants, and a pair of black dress shoes. Satoru was holding a small school picture of Ayuka in his clenched right hand.

"This is the most recent photo we have of Ayuka," said Satoru as he handed the photo to the detective.

"Thank you, I'll be sure that her photo is spread to every major news network in the city. If anybody's seen her we should know," she replied. She looked over the photo and then tucked it into her notebook. "Now you say that your daughter's been missing since Wednesday afternoon, correct?" the detective asked.

"Yes, she wasn't feeling well that day so we let her stay home from school and my wife stayed home with her to keep her company. But she was feeling better that afternoon so they went into town together," Satoru explained.

Akari looked up from the floor for a brief moment. "It had been so long since we've really spent any time together, so I thought we could have a fun mother-daughter day. We went to the movies and then afterwards we visited Mitsui Memorial Hospital," she added.

"I see, and is there some significance that particular hospital holds to your family?" the detective replied.

"…" Akari didn't respond.

"Our son, Benzo…" Satoru choked up getting the words out. "He passed away there a few years ago. They were there to pay their respects."

"Oh…" the detective was momentarily taken aback. "I-I'm…I'm so sorry for your loss," she replied in a solemn tone.

"Thank you," Akari replied.

A few moments passed before the detective continued asking her questions. "If you don't mind me asking, why have you waited until now to declare your daughter missing?"

Satoru grimaced. "Are you joking?! We called the police the moment she disappeared!" he exclaimed. "The police officers who came searched the hospital from top to bottom alongside the hospital's security staff! They couldn't find her! But instead of continuing the search, they just said that she could have left of her own volition and they couldn't do anything else until she had been missing for at least twenty-four hours! And now here you are, half a day after that deadline and you're just getting started!" His patience with the police had truly reached its limits. "Our daughter could be…! She could be…!" He couldn't finish the thought.

"…" the detective just remained silent. She knew there was nothing she could say to make things better. He was right, they should have gotten involved a lot sooner. But as she had just taken on this case she wasn't aware of the current circumstances.

Akari squeezed her husband's hand. "Honey, she's just trying to help. Getting mad at her won't bring Ayuka home any sooner."

Satoru did his best to hold back his tears and tried to calm down. And then after a few moments he began to speak again. "I'm sorry, this is just too much for me to handle."

The detective showed a look of concern. "I can't even begin to imagine what you and your wife are going through right now, Mr. Yamasato. But I need you to stay strong for Ayuka's sake. Can you do that?"

Satoru took a deep breath and then nodded. "I'll try."

"Good. Now before we continue, you should know that I wasn't aware of the current circumstances surrounding Ayuka's case. I was actually just handed this early this morning. So forgive me if I ask you anything that the police asked you before," the detective replied.

"It's okay, we're just glad you're here right now," Akari replied. "Ask us anything you want."

"Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation. Now then, going by what you've told me so far, I get the feeling that Ayuka is a very withdrawn girl. And one thing I did take note of in the initial report was the response you gave to the officers when they asked about places Ayuka would frequent, or any friends she might go to. You said that you weren't aware of any friends or that she went anywhere besides school and home. Do you still stand by that statement?" the detective asked.

Akari nodded. "Yes, that sounds about right. Ayuka…" She sighed. "She's been so different for a long time now. She used to talk a lot more. She would tell us all about her day, all about her friends." Akari smiled. "Just from her stories, I could tell how popular she was. Everyone was drawn to her, her and that sweet smile of hers."

The detective looked over her shoulder at the Yamasatos' grand piano. "I've noticed that impressive looking piano you have. Did Ayuka play by any chance?"

Akari nodded. "She used to play all the time. She loved the piano, and so did Benzo. We were so very proud of them, our two talented pianists." Then she looked down at the floor. "But she started playing less and less after Benzo died. And then soon not at all. She says that she uses the piano at her school to practice now. But we don't know if that's true or not. Playing anything anymore is probably too painful for her to do."

The detective turned back to face the Yamasatos and smiled at them. "Ayuka sounds like she's a really special girl."

Then Akari frowned. "But now, she hardly ever talks to us, and when she does I always feel like she's forcing herself to do so. And since she entered high school, I never hear any talk of friends. When we ask her about it, she always tells us not to worry. I'd say she's just having trouble adjusting, but it's been almost two years since she changed schools. Not a day goes by that I don't worry about her."

"I…I see," the detective replied. "What I'm gathering is that her personality changed around the time of her brother's death. It must have been really hard for her, losing someone she was so close to."

"It was hard on all of us," Satoru replied. "But especially on Ayuka. She and Benzo were closer than siblings, they were best friends. I don't think she's ever really been the same since then."

"…" the detective remained silent. She looked down at her notepad and wrote down something. Then she tapped her pencil against the notepad, contemplating how to ask her next question. "Mr. and Mrs. Yamasato, I realize it might be inappropriate to ask this but…I have to know. Do you think it's possible that Ayuka simply ran away?"

"Ayuka would never…!" Satoru exclaimed. "She's kind and selfless. She would know what this would do to me…to her mother. She would never make us so sick with worry."

"I understand, but from what you've told me so far, she's been struggling ever since her brother passed away. It's not that unlikely to say that she just needed some time to clear her head," the detective replied.

"She wouldn't just run off without telling us anything," Satoru replied. "She knows that she can always come to us if something is on her mind."

"Do you know if anything else besides her personality has changed? Have her grades been dropping? Has she been coming home later than usual?" the detective asked.

"No, nothing like that," Satoru shook his head and replied. "I'm not blind, I can see how different she's become. But she's still such a caring girl. She does everything in her power to make sure that we're not worried about her. In all honesty, I think she's more concerned about how we feel then how she feels herself."

"…" Akari looked like she wanted to say something.

"Mrs. Yamasato, do you have a different opinion?" the detective replied.

"She…she told us Tuesday night that she was kicked out of her club at school. She didn't say why though. But she seemed really upset about the whole thing," Akari replied. "I talked to her about it the next day, and I found out that the main reason why she was upset involved another girl who was in her club. She…she committed suicide this past weekend. And I think ever since Ayuka heard the news, she's been even worse than usual."

"…" Satoru remained silent.

"…" the detective was silent at first but then she took a deep breath and decided to bite the bullet. "Mr. and Mrs. Yamasato, do you think your daughter might try to harm herself?"

The room was silent for a few moments before Akari spoke up again. "That day, she also confessed to me that she thinks she's clinically depressed. I did my best to comfort her, but I could tell that she needed to talk to someone else, a professional," Akari replied.

"My wife called me shortly after that. I told her that when I got home from work we would sit Ayuka down and talk to her about attending therapy," Satoru added. "But then she disappeared from the hospital. And now we don't really know what to think." He cupped his hands in his face. "I don't know, maybe she did run away. Maybe we unintentionally pushed her away from us somewhere down the line."

"Mr. Yamasato, you can't think like that. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for what happened to Ayuka. And if she did run away, I'm sure it's nothing over what you or your wife did," the detective replied in a comforting tone. "From the sound of it, she knows that the two of you love her very much. I don't think she would try and hurt you this way."

Akari wrapped her arms around her husband. "Detective, please find her. Please find Ayuka."

The detective nodded. "I'll do my best to bring her home to you."

"Thank you, thank you," Satoru replied, not being able to keep his tears back any longer.

Then all of a sudden, the conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a cellphone belonging to the detective. She pulled the cellphone out of her jacket pocket and then checked the caller I.D. "Please excuse me, I have to take this." She walked out into the hallway and then answered the call. "Senpai?" After a few moments the detective spoke again. "Yes, I'm working a case right now. A friend of mine in my old division asked me if I could look into it for him because he was a little overloaded." The person on the other line appeared to be chewing out the detective. "I'm sorry I took it on without consulting you first, but it was my day off. I didn't think there was any harm in taking a look. It's a girl who attends a private school in Akihabara, her parents are out of their minds with worry and they've been waiting long enough to get help." After a few more moments the detective responded again. "I can't do that, I just got here. I still need to…what? A body was found at a school?" The detective's eyes widened. "A private school in Akihabara? A girl hung herself?" A look of worry consumed the detective's face. "Senpai, does the girl have auburn hair and hazel eyes by any chance?" After a few moments the detective breathed a sigh of relief. "No, no it's not her then." After a few more moments, the detective nodded and then replied, "Hang on, I'll check."

"I-Is something wrong?" Akari asked.

"There may be a new development," the detective replied. "Remind me. What was the name of the school your daughter attends again?"

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

The alarm on Takuya's phone went off, signaling the start of the new day. Takuya groaned and then struggled in pulling himself up out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and then stretched his arms and let out a yawn. Then Takuya turned his attention to the empty sleeping bag on the floor beside him. "He didn't come back at all?" he muttered to himself. It had been almost a day since Shinichi stayed behind in the girls' dorm to retrieve Michiko Endou's journal. And he had still not returned. "Shinichi, where are you? I'm starting to get really worried." All of a sudden, a blaring noise interrupted Takuya's thoughts, startling him. "What the hell was that?" The noise repeated itself on loop, and appeared to grow louder. It took a few moments before Takuya finally realized what that sound was. "Are those sirens?" Suddenly, someone started banging at Takuya's door. Takuya hopped out of his bed and went to the door to answer it. Upon opening the door, Takuya was surprised to see Ryuta, fully dressed and wearing a horrified look on his face. "Ryuta? What's wrong?"

"Dude, get dressed. We have to go right now," Ryuta replied.

"What? Why? What's going on?" Takuya asked.

"I just heard through the grape vine. The police just showed up on campus," Ryuta replied. "Apparently, somebody died."

"D-Died?!" Takuya exclaimed in horror.

"I don't know all the details, but that's what's going on. The whole dorm is practically deserted. Everyone's gone to get a closer look. And I…I've got a really bad feeling about this," Ryuta replied.

"…" Takuya silently nodded, understanding Ryuta's worries. "Okay, just give me a minute to get dressed and we'll head over too."

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

All the commotion originated from the arts and clubs building on the other side of the campus. When Takuya and Ryuta arrived on the scene, they were surprised to see that practically the whole school was there as well. An endless clamor of indistinguishable muttering echoed throughout the area. Several police cars along with a single ambulance were parked in front of the building, and several police officers surrounded the building and were busy marking it off with yellow crime scene tape. Takuya and Ryuta found themselves having to push through the throng of onlookers to get a closer look at the scene. After some pushing and shoving they finally made it to the front of the crowd. "Never thought I'd see another crime scene on a school campus. It's so surreal." Takuya glanced over at Ryuta and saw that he seemed to be staring off into space. "Dude, are you okay?" Takuya asked.

"Huh?" Ryuta muttered in reply. When he saw Takuya's concerned look he came back to reality. "Oh yeah, sorry. This just brings back bad memories for me too, you know."

Takuya recalled Ryuta's troubling circumstances. "Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot, you were actually involved in a scene like this."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Ryuta replied. Though his expression still seemed troubled.

"Takuya?!" someone suddenly shouted above the crowd. Takuya turned to his right to see Fuyumi making her way towards him and Ryuta.

"Fuyu?!" Takuya replied.

Fuyumi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, you're okay. When I heard that something like this occurred on campus, with all that's happened I immediately started worrying about you."

"You don't know what's going on either?" Takuya replied.

Fuyumi shook her head. "No, I just arrived. I came as soon as I heard that someone had died, but I don't know any more than that." Fuyumi then spied Ryuta on the other side of Takuya. "Y-Yanasai-san?"

Ryuta noticed Fuyumi. "Oh hey, Miyazaki-san," he replied with an added wave.

Fuyumi gained a troubled expression on her face. 'Takuya's hanging around him? I thought I told him not to,' she thought to herself. Then her expression changed from troubled to worried when she saw the expressions of dread on the two boys' faces. 'I guess being so close to a crime scene can't be easy for either one of them, huh?'

"Hey you guys, look. Someone else is showing up," Ryuta suddenly said, making Fuyumi come back to her senses and turn her attention to the edge of the ever-growing crowd. Another car suddenly pulled up, it was a police car but it wasn't a cruiser, instead it was an old imported jalopy of a car, that simply had a small removable siren on top of it. It parked itself at the edge of the crowd, and then a few moments later a lone woman got out of the car and stowed the removable siren back inside. The three didn't know it, but this was actually the same female detective that was at the Yamasato household not that long ago. She scurried quickly through the crowd, making her way close to the three on-lookers; and then she tried to duck under the crime scene tape, but one of the officers guarding the scene stopped her.

"Sorry, Ma'am. You can't go in there without…" the officer was cut off when the detective shoved her badge in his face.

"Asakawa, Homicide. Detective Kobayashi is expecting me," the detective, named Asakawa, replied.

"O-Of course, come on through, sorry about the inconvenience," the officer replied as he lifted up the crime scene tape, allowing Asakawa to duck under and proceed up the front steps and into the building.

"She said she was a homicide detective. So I guess, it wasn't just a rumor. Someone's really dead," said Ryuta.

"This is just too horrible. We've had some bad things happen on campus before, but never anything like this," Fuyumi replied. Then she turned to her left and saw that Takuya was still staring off into space.

"Takuya? Is something wrong?" she asked out of concern.

"Huh?" Takuya replied when he came back to his senses. "Oh no, sorry for spacing out, I was just focused on that detective."

"In what way?" Fuyumi asked.

"It's a weird sense of déjà vu. That detective, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't place the face," Takuya replied.

Ryuta smirked. "Are you sure that you weren't just distracted by other areas of interest?"

Takuya punched Ryuta in his shoulder. "Shut up." Then Takuya looked back at the building. 'Seriously though. That detective, I know her from somewhere. But where?' Takuya scoffed. 'Great, this is going to drive me crazy.'

"…" Fuyumi still seemed concerned, but she didn't choose to push the subject.

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

Meanwhile, up on the fourth floor of the arts and clubs building, the area was abuzz with police activity. Especially in the orchestra club room, where crime scene investigators were studying and photographing every inch of the area. The noose was still hanging in the middle of the room, but Michiko Endou's body had since been removed and was now lying on the floor. The coroner was currently spreading a white sheet over her body. And overlooking that sight was a stern-looking woman with raven black hair tied back into a ponytail and sharp gray colored eyes. She wore a black pantsuit, complete with an open black dress jacket, a white blouse, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black loafers. She also had a holstered gun that was strapped to her right hip, and she wore a pair of dark black gloves over her hands. Opposite of her was a familiar face, the Headmaster of Yousha Academy, Hiroshi Miyazaki. Hiroshi looked incredibly distraught.

"I just can't believe it. I can't believe that she's dead. For God sakes, I just talked to her yesterday and now…" said Hiroshi.

"I understand your frustration, Headmaster Miyazaki. But based on the accounts of the students who found the body and the teacher they informed, we're pretty sure that we have a positive ID. But if you're still unconvinced we can get a more personal identification. Do you have her family's contact info?" the detective asked.

Hiroshi shook his head. "We are her family, the poor girl was abandoned before she was even able to speak and then was moved from foster home to foster home until she wound up here." He looked the detective in the eyes. "Let me see her, I can confirm it for you."

"…" the detective mulled it over for a second and then she sighed and nodded. She turned to the coroner. "Can you show him her face?"

"…" the coroner silently nodded and then uncovered Michiko's face. There was no doubt that it was her.

Hiroshi seemed taken aback. He looked down at the floor, an expression of pure depression overtaking his face. "That's her. That's Michiko Endou alright." The coroner silently covered Michiko's face back up.

"Tell me, Headmaster Miyazaki. Would you say that you were rather close with Michiko?" the detective asked.

"I try my best to get to know all my students on a personal level. You have to understand here at Yousha we operate much differently than other private schools. Everyone has a say here, students are seen as individual people instead of just numbers, and for a lot of students here we're their last hope at getting a proper education and creating a good life for themselves," Hiroshi replied. "We take in orphans, the underprivileged, and the most troublesome students that other schools pushed out without a second thought."

"That sounds really noble," the detective replied. "And how did Michiko like it here?"

"Yousha was her home, she loved this school deeply. She worked so hard running the school as Student Council President while also making time to run her own club," Hiroshi replied.

"And that's the orchestra club? This is their club room, correct?" the detective asked.

"Yes, this is the one," Hiroshi replied.

The detective looked around the room. "Interesting, why here exactly?" she whispered to herself.

"Pardon?" Hiroshi replied.

The detective shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Detective, I understand that we must leave you to your work in peace but is it okay for me to inform the students and faculty about the matter? I'm sure you've noticed that pretty much the entire campus has surrounded the building by now. I don't think it would be fair to leave them in the dark. And I also think it might be best for me to cancel classes for today and send the students home. Would that be okay as well?" Hiroshi replied.

The detective crossed her arms and thought about it for a second. "I guess it's okay. The preliminary cause of death is suicide, and if this does turn out to be murder, leaving the body in such an open place, the killer had every intention of their crime being discovered. Informing your school about Michiko's death shouldn't really cause any commotion. And because we're declaring this a suicide for now, we don't have any legal right to hold anyone here. So I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in sending the students home for now. But until this is all cleared up, we're going to need to keep a close eye on the crime scene, Michiko's dorm room, and the campus over the next couple of days. And on the off chance that this isn't suicide, we'll need to conduct interviews as well."

"Yes, I understand. I'll inform everyone immediately. And I'll make sure no one gets in your hair as well." Hiroshi bowed and excused himself. "Now then detective, if you'll please excuse me." Then he walked out of the club room, heading down to the ground floor to discuss things with the onlookers. He passed by Detective Asakawa in the hallway, who was heading in the opposite direction.

A few moments later, Asakawa entered the clubroom and walked right up to the other detective. "Kobayashi-senpai," Asakawa called out to her.

Kobayashi sighed at the sight of her junior. "You're late again, Asakawa. I can't keep covering for you like this. Even if it was your day off, you should have been prepared to be called in at a moment's notice."

"I know, I'm sorry. But like I said over the phone, I was working on a missing persons case for an old colleague of mine," Asakawa replied.

"You're not in Missing Persons anymore," Kobayashi replied. "You should have known better than to take that case, especially not without my go ahead. Open homicide cases should be your only priority now."

"I…I understand, Senpai. I'm sorry I didn't run it by you first, but I don't think it was for nothing. The girl I'm looking for, she attended this school as well," Asakawa replied.

"That's probably just a coincidence, there are only so many private schools in Tokyo after all, and this is one of the largest," Kobayashi replied.

Asakawa shook her head. "No, I think there's more to it than that. Please hear me out. Ayuka Yamasato and our victim were in the same club. They apparently knew each other quite well, at least that's what I heard from her parents."

Kobayashi was at a loss for words. "Your girl was in the school's orchestra club as well? That's…that's…hmm," she replied. She crossed her arms and then began to think.

"Senpai, what's the matter?" Asakawa replied.

"I remember now, there was another death this past weekend. Another girl hung herself in her bedroom," Kobayashi replied.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Asakawa asked.

"If I recall correctly, that girl and our victim have a lot more in common than you may think. The school she attended, I might be wrong, but I think it was Yousha Academy as well," Kobayashi replied.

Asakawa's eyes widened. "Are you serious, Senpai?" Her expression immediately turned troubled. "Then you think the deaths might be connected?"

"It's only a theory, but two deaths in one week…both girls who attended the same private school and who were in the same club. I think that's a little too much of a coincidence. And if that's the case, then there might be some worth in keeping that missing persons case you took without my permission," Kobayashi replied.

"Y-You think Ayuka Yamasato might be involved in all of this somehow?" Asakawa asked.

"Two girls dead, and another disappears without a trace, all in the course of one week. And all three of them attended the same school and were in the same club. That is definitely not a coincidence," Kobayashi replied. "Make a call to headquarters. I want that other girl's case file on my desk as soon as we get back, the same goes for whatever you currently have on _this_ Ayuka Yamasato's case."

Asakawa nodded and pulled out her cellphone. "Yes, Senpai. Right away," she replied before walking out into the hall to hear better, dialing the number to police headquarters on her cellphone as she did so.

Kobayashi turned around and laid eyes on the white sheet covering Michiko's dead body. "Something is really rotten at this school. I can smell it."

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

Almost half an hour had passed, and in that time even more onlookers surrounded the arts and clubs building. Ryuta looked around the crowd. "Geez, almost the entire school has to be here now. How long are they going to make us wait for answers?"

"I doubt anyone really knows what to do at this point. There's just too much chaos to handle," Fuyumi replied.

"…" Takuya kept to his thoughts in silence. 'Whenever someone is destined to die, an omen will appear to us. That's the way it's supposed to go, right? But the only omen that I or the others have seen since Saturday is…' His eyes widened when a sudden realization hit him. 'No way…it…it can't be…'

"Takuya, look its Grandfather," Fuyumi interrupted Takuya's thoughts and motioned for him to look at the entrance to the building. And sure enough, Hiroshi had appeared up at the top of building's front steps. Takuya noticed that his grandfather had a solemn look on his face.

"Attention, please! Can I please have everyone's attention?!" Hiroshi shouted over the noise of the crowd. It took almost a full minute, but eventually everyone turned quiet and Hiroshi continued to speak. "I suppose that you have all guessed from the presence of the police on campus, but just in case you are unaware, allow me to inform you of the current circumstances. Early this morning, a student's body was discovered in this building."

The crowd then erupted with even more boisterous jibber-jabber at the sudden information. "So it was true?" Fuyumi muttered with a shocked gasp.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta looked to one another and shared a knowing look. Ryuta's face had grown pale, just as Takuya's had before. It appeared that he too had guessed who the victim was.

"Silence! Please be silent!" Hiroshi shouted over the crowd. And after a few moments the crowd fell silent again. "In response to this discovery, the police were immediately called and they sealed off the crime scene. And the body was shortly thereafter identified by those who first discovered the scene and myself. I am very sorry to say that our beloved Student Council President, Michiko Endou, has passed away."

Fuyumi's eyes widened in shock and she cupped her hands over her mouth. "No!" she exclaimed in horror.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta both silently looked down at the ground, a defeated expression claiming both of their faces.

In the middle of the crowd, two familiar faces stood out. Masako Akagawa and Jackal Sixx Sario. They both seemed shocked beyond words, as both girls had just seen Michiko yesterday. "Oh my god!" Masako exclaimed in horror.

"…" Jack was rendered speechless, a thousand-yard stare simply taking hold of her eyes and mind.

And further back behind them was Reisuke Hirabayashi. "…!" He too appeared to be stunned into silence.

The crowd erupted in even more shock and horror, and this time it took Hiroshi several minutes to calm the crowd before he continued speaking. "At this point in time, a definitive cause of death has not been determined, so for the next few days the arts and clubs building will be out of bounds while the police continue to investigate. And the girls' dorm will be frequented by the police as well as they investigate Endou-san's dorm room. I ask that you please not disturb them and let them work in peace. Any student who fails to do so will be punished without hesitation. Furthermore, select students and faculty may be called on to be questioned by the police at some time in the near future, depending on how their investigation goes. The school is planning to cooperate fully with the police and I advise you all to do the same. Now then, onto the next announcement. I am hereby cancelling classes for today, and a school wide email shall be sent out shortly to inform anyone who is not here for this announcement. I ask that all students who live on campus, return to their individual dorm rooms immediately and do not leave until further notice. Students who live off campus should return to their respective homes and do the same. As for all teachers and faculty, I ask that you join me for an emergency staff meeting in the main office building in one hour. That is all for now. Thank you for your time." And with that, the crowd began to disperse albeit slowly.

"Sixx-san we should…" Masako was about to suggest to her friend that they should return to their dorm but she was surprised to see that Jack was already going off somewhere else on her own. "Sixx-san?" Masako called out to her friend, her voice conveying her worry.

"Sorry, Ma-chan. You go on ahead. I…I need to be alone right now," Jack replied without turning back to face her. Then a few moments later, she was gone.

"Sixx-san…" Masako simply muttered to herself. She couldn't imagine how her friend was feeling at that moment.

Hirabayashi pulled out his cellphone and then tried calling his girlfriend, Yurika Owari. But he was just met with her voicemail. "Again? That's the fourth time," Hirabayashi said to himself. When the voicemail's outgoing message ended, he left Yurika a message. "Yuri, it's me again. Please, call me back as soon as you get the chance," he said in a serious tone. "I have some really bad news that I think would be heard better coming from me. I'm going to be on campus for the rest of the day to get answers. Call me and we'll find a place to meet up." Then Hirabayashi put away his cellphone and took one final look at the building. "…" With a defeated look, he trudged off in the direction of the main office building. He was technically a member of the academy's faculty so he was going to make sure that he was there for that meeting. And even if he wasn't allowed, he knew he wasn't going to leave without getting some answers.

After about ten minutes, the crowd had diminished significantly. The only people remaining people were Fuyumi, Ryuta, and Takuya, as well as a few stragglers. Takuya turned to his cousin and saw that she was practically on the verge of tears. 'Fuyu. That's right, her and Endou-senpai were really close. She knew her a lot longer than I did. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now,' Takuya thought to himself.

Hiroshi stepped down from the front steps of the arts and clubs building when he noticed the three remaining at the scene. "That goes for you kids too. Go back to your dorms right now," Hiroshi said in a stern tone.

Fuyumi did her best to keep herself from crying and then simply nodded. "Yes, Grandfa…I mean, Headmaster Miyazaki," she replied.

"Yes, Sir," Takuya replied in a deadpan tone.

"Yes, Sir," Ryuta replied as well.

The three turned to leave before Hiroshi suddenly stopped them. "Wait." He walked up to his two grandchildren and pulled them both into a group hug. "When I first heard that a student had died, my mind immediately jumped to the thought that it could have been one of you. I'm so glad you're both safe. I…I don't think I could ever forgive myself if anything ever happened to either of you. I love you both so much."

Fuyumi hugged her grandfather back. "We love you too…Grandfather," she replied, not holding herself back.

"Yeah," Takuya added as he hugged Hiroshi back as well.

After a few moments, Hiroshi let his grandchildren go and then turned his attention to Ryuta. "Ryuta Yanasai?" At first he looked confused as to why Ryuta was still there but then he smiled when realization hit him. "Ah, I take it you're one of the new friends that Takuya has told me about?"

Ryuta smiled lightly and nodded. "Yes, Sir. I am."

"Well thank you so much for looking after my grandson. I hope he doesn't cause you too much trouble," Hiroshi replied.

Ryuta chuckled. "Actually, I've been getting into a quite a bit more trouble ever since I met him."

Hiroshi patted Ryuta on the shoulder. "Well then, thank you for putting up with him."

"Hey!" Takuya exclaimed.

"No problem," Ryuta replied.

Hiroshi nodded and then turned his attention back to Takuya and Fuyumi. "Why don't the three of us have dinner together tonight? Come tomorrow it will be one week since Takuya came to live with us. We should celebrate." Hiroshi frowned. "Lord knows we need a celebration to lift our sprits with all that's happened this week."

"That sounds nice, Grandfather," Fuyumi replied.

"Yeah, we haven't really gotten the chance to spend any time together since I got here." Takuya's expression soured. "You're not cooking though are you?"

"Hey now, that's not very nice. It's been years, how do you know that my cooking skills haven't gotten any better in all that time?" Hiroshi replied.

"Don't worry, they haven't," Fuyumi said to Takuya with an added sweatdrop.

Hiroshi sighed. "Fine then, we'll order out. Just as long as we're together." Hiroshi turned back to Ryuta. "You're welcome to join as well if you'd like, Yanasai-san."

Ryuta shook his head. "No, Sir. Thanks for the offer, but you three should spend some time together alone. Besides, I think I'd kind of just feel like a fourth wheel."

"Suit yourself," Fuyumi replied in a very dismissive tone.

Ryuta sweatdropped. 'Geez, you could have insisted at least.'

Hiroshi lightly chuckled. "Well maybe next time then. Now then, you three should get back to your dorms. I have to go get things ready for the emergency faculty meeting. We'll talk more later tonight. Take care," Hiroshi replied, before heading off into the direction of the main office building.

"Fuyu, are you going to be okay?" Takuya asked out of concern.

"…" Fuyumi silently nodded. "I will be…eventually. For now, I'm just going to head back to my dorm and think, and maybe rest for a little while. Like Grandfather said, we'll talk more later tonight, okay?"

Takuya nodded. "Okay, see you later then, Fuyu."

"See you later," Fuyumi replied before walking off as well.

And no sooner had Fuyumi left, some more people came out of the arts and clubs building. Takuya and Ryuta turned their attention back to the building's entrance and saw the coroner and a few paramedics carefully carry a gurney holding a body bag down the front steps. The boys' expressions immediately did a 180. It appeared as if for a brief moment, they had forgotten what all this meant. But this single sight brought everything rushing back. They failed in reaching their goal. They could not prevent Michiko's death. And now there was nothing more they could do. She was gone, and she was never coming back. When the group reached the bottom of the steps, they hurriedly opened the doors to the ambulance and placed the gurney inside. Then they closed the doors and a few moments later, the ambulance sped off, presumably to the city morgue.

"How? How could this have happened?" Ryuta asked.

"I don't know. I thought we still had time. I thought we could still do something to prevent this. But we ended up being too late," Takuya replied.

"We were too late to save her? Could it really be that simple?" Ryuta asked. "It just seems so unreal. Yesterday, we were all gung-ho to save her, and now suddenly she's dead."

"This must have been what Shinichi was talking about before. This feeling of hopelessness. Like nothing you do even matters," Takuya replied.

Ryuta sighed. "That's so horrible. So what? We're just expected to go along with all of this? What's the point of having these powers if we can't use them to help people?"

Takuya stroked his chin. "Maybe…? Maybe we're still missing something?"

"What do you mean?" Ryuta asked.

"Just dismissing this as destiny and saying there's nothing we can do to stop it, it just all seems so pointless. I know for a fact that we were given these powers for a reason. It's like you said, if we can't use these powers to help people then what's the point? We're supposed to restore the balance of life and death, but how are we supposed to do that if there's no way to prevent these deaths?" Takuya replied. He shook his head. "No, there's something more to this, I know it. Endou-senpai wasn't supposed to die. I don't know how I know it, but I do. Her death was unnatural; I can feel it. We just have to figure out what happened."

Ryuta sighed. "Geez, would it kill the universe to toss us an instruction manual or something? How are we supposed to restore the balance if we don't even know how we're supposed to go about doing that?"

'That's exactly what we need, something to guide us in the right direction. Right now, our faith in our abilities has been shaken. We need to have assurance in our actions, otherwise we'll just keep doubting ourselves and overthinking everything,' Takuya thought to himself. He closed his eyes and shut himself off from the outside world. 'Tell me. What are we supposed to do? How do we restore the balance? How do we save the souls that are trapped in Limbo? How do we prevent these unnatural deaths? Just give me a hint. Please.' Then suddenly, a dazzling blue light broke through the darkness of Takuya's inner mind. 'Huh, what's that?' Takuya opened his eyes and saw that the dazzling blue light was coming from his clenched right hand. 'What the…?' Takuya opened his hand and saw that the source of the blue light was a blue key attached to a key ring with a mask shaped pedant on it. The key was nestled in his right palm, but Takuya had no memory of having the key in his hand. It took a few moments before Takuya realized that he had seen this key before. 'This is…!'

Then another dazzling blue light enveloped the area, Takuya looked up and saw that a dazzling, semi-transparent, blue door had appeared in front of him. Takuya looked back down at the key in his hand, and then he nodded in affirmation as to his next move. With newfound confidence, he walked up to the door and inserted the key into the doorknob's keyhole. Then he turned the doorknob and pushed open the door, and when he did, a blinding while light enveloped him.

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

Takuya opened his eyes and found himself in a very familiar, fancy, blue-colored lounge. He was in the mysterious Velvet Room once again. 'I knew it. That key was the same one Samantha gave me before. I'm back in the Velvet Room,' Takuya thought to himself.

"Hello once again, dear guest. We've been expecting you," a familiar voice suddenly said to Takuya. Takuya turned his head and saw three familiar people at the back of the lounge. Igor was sitting in front of a round table with a blue tablecloth on it. Samantha was standing on his left side, and Alphonse was standing on his right. Igor was the one who spoke.

Alphonse was currently mixing various items on his trolley cart and then pouring them into a bar shaker glass. A few moments later, Alphonse closed up the bar shaker glass and then began to shake it vigorously before opening the glass and pouring out the contents in a drink glass. He then laid the drink out on the table in front of Igor. "Your drink, Master," Alphonse said as he did so.

Igor picked up the glass and then slowly began to drink from it, savoring the taste as he did so. "Ah, excellent work, young one. Your service is as impeccable as always."

Alphonse did his signature butler bow. "I aim to please, Master."

Takuya snickered. "Is it really a good idea for a pilot to be drinking on duty?"

Igor chuckled mischievously as held his glass in a dainty manner. "In case you haven't noticed, boy, our flight has been delayed for quite some time. The engines have stopped working and we've stalled in mid-air. Nothing can be done until they've been repaired. So what's wrong with an old man having a drink to calm his nerves?"

"Point taken," Takuya replied. Then he walked further into the lounge and took a seat opposite Igor and the others in one of the big comfy blue chairs. "So it looks like that key you gave me works. I was just thinking that I needed some guidance and then suddenly the door to this place appears right before my eyes."

"Like, that's what we're here for. Any guest in need of guidance can, like, drop in 24/7," Samantha replied.

"I'll keep that in mind," Takuya replied.

"Can I get you a refreshment, Takuya? As you may recall, my trolley has just about anything you could possibly desire," said Alphonse.

Takuya shook his head. "No thanks. With the way I'm feeling right now, I doubt I could hold anything down."

"I see, maybe another time then," Alphonse replied, looking slightly disappointed.

Samantha walked over to Takuya and sat down in the chair beside him. She placed her gloved hand on his and did her best to comfort him. "Cheer up, Takuya. I know things may seem dark now, but, like, that doesn't mean they won't get better eventually. That girl, just because you couldn't save her, doesn't mean that it's, like, over."

Takuya was confused. "You already know?"

"We are always watching over you, boy. Remember, the fate of each guest is tied to the Velvet Room. We three, as well as the room itself, share a special connection to you. We observe everything you do and experience," Igor explained. He put his drink down and then shook his head and sighed. "That girl, her death was indeed a tragedy that should not have come to pass. But her death is not on you. You would do well to keep that in mind."

"But I could have prevented it. In a way, it is my fault, because I did nothing to stop it," Takuya replied.

"The power of Persona is indeed a worthy tool for those who stand against darkness and those who would harm others. As you have seen over the past few days while battling with your own Persona, and your allies with theirs as well. But do not think that it makes you invincible. A Persona is only as strong as the spirit of those who summon it. You have only just unlocked your power, and are still learning how to truly wield it. You did everything you could. It just wasn't enough this time. That's all there is to it," Igor replied.

"As a Grim Reaper, I have power over life and death, right? Then why? Why wasn't that enough to save her? Why did this have to happen?" Takuya asked.

Igor closed his eyes and began to think. "Hmm, why indeed?" he muttered to himself. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and began to speak again. "Before going forward, perhaps I should tell you more about the powers you wield. After all, our bond goes both ways. If we know everything you know, it's only fair that you should know everything we know."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"You possess two great powers within you, the power of Persona and the power of a Grim Reaper. As you know anyone who is deemed worthy can unlock their inner self and manifest it as a Persona. You were deemed worthy and so were your companions, the holders of the Death and Chariot arcana," Igor explained.

"You mean Shinichi and Ryuta?" Takuya replied.

Igor nodded and then continued. "The three of you have manifested Personas representing your respective arcana and have gained some experience in using them effectively against the Shadows that roam the world of the dead."

"So you know about the Shadows too?" Takuya replied.

"But of course, Shadows have existed for as long as Personas have. The two represent light and darkness, the positive and negative. They are like two sides of the same coin; one cannot exist without the other. You and the others have experienced this phenomenon as well, correct?" Igor asked.

Takuya thought about his encounter with the three Shadows over the past few days. "Yeah, and come to think of it we were only able to summon our Personas when we stood up to our Shadows."

Igor nodded. "You have learned about this as well, from your other mysterious ally."

Takuya thought back to his first conversation with the blue butterfly. That first day he arrived in Tokyo, the butterfly had taken him to another world, not unlike the Velvet Room. And there he bore witness to previous holders of the Wild Card and how they each summoned their Personas. "One of the Wild Card Holder's Persona was summoned by the act of risking his own life. Sacrifice. Another one was summoned by accepting their inner darkness. Acceptance. And the last was summoned by inner rage and defiance. Rebellion."

"There are many ways in which the chosen can manifest their Persona. The methods you speak of are just a few of many. However, your method is…special to say the least," Igor replied.

"The blue butterfly said the same thing. But I still don't really understand. You've said it yourself, there have been tons of Persona users throughout history. What makes us so special? How are we different from anyone else who has ever summoned a Persona?" Takuya asked.

"That's simple really. The answer lies at the heart of the other power you have been bestowed. Think, what happened after your Persona manifested itself?" Igor asked.

"…" Takuya thought about it for a second and then flashed back to that day.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _"_ _Now let us complete the contract,_ _" said Zenbyou. He raised his scythe over his shoulder and then he asked Takuya, "_ _Any last words?_ _"_

 _"Death to my former self," Takuya simply said._

 _Zenbyou cackled. "_ _Well said._ _" And then he swung his scythe back and brought it down to his neck and chopped off Takuya's head._

 _Ayuka screamed in horror. "Takuya!" Takuya's head flew through the air until it fell to the floor, along with his now headless body._

 _"_ _Through death, comes rebirth,_ _" said Zenbyou. Then his eyes began to glow and suddenly Takuya's body and head began to disintegrate and then they turned into a series of small lights that flew up into the air and then disappeared. Then Zenbyou spun his scythe around in the air and then forced it down below and used the blade to cut open the hallway floor. "_ _Rise and take on your new mantle, Sin Eater._ _" Then the cut in the floor began to grow until a large crack formed in the hallway floor, and then the crack opened and formed a fissure. Then something came out of the fissure in the floor, it was a person who was shrouded in a bright blue aura. They floated up to the top of the fissure and then the fissure below them closed and became solid ground once again. It was as if there never was a crack in the floor to begin with. Then Zenbyou disappeared, leaving Ayuka, Shadow Takuya, and the person with the aura alone in the hallway. The person's aura soon disappeared and silence filled the air._

 _The mysterious person was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, that had a design of a human skeleton's torso on the front of it. And on the back of the hoodie the words_ _Sin, Baby Sin_ _were stitched in bright blue. They wore a pair of black trousers that had blanket stitches all over them for an added design. And they also wore a pair of tennis shoes with a scythe design on the side of them that sort of looked like the Nike logo._

 _"W-Who are you?" Ayuka asked the hooded person. The hooded person turned to face Ayuka and then they pulled down their hood so Ayuka could see their face. The hooded person revealed themself to be Takuya, who now had red eyes and a serious expression. "T-Takuya?"_

 _He smirked. "The one and only. Sorry you had to see all of that, I bet it was intense. I mean I died, but I knew I was going to come back. You probably thought I was dead for good, right?"_

* * *

"I…I died. My Persona killed me," Takuya replied. He wore a look of newfound shock on his face, as if this was the first time that he had realized this disturbing fact. Takuya held his head. "I…I didn't even think about it when it happened. It all seemed so natural, like I had done it thousands of times before. And come to think of it, Ryuta and Shinichi didn't say anything about it either. Why would that be? Why would that all feel natural?"

"Well I can answer one of your questions easily, the other will take a bit of an explanation. First of all, as you know a Persona is a physical manifestation of your inner self. You and your Persona, Zenbyou, share a special connection. You can think of him as an extension of your own person," Igor explained.

"An extension of my person?" I repeated the words in confusion.

"You should not think of yourselves as separate entities, you are merely mirror reflections of one another. You are him, and he is you. You share all thoughts and emotions. His pain, is your pain. And your pleasure, is his pleasure. Do you understand?" Igor asked.

"I…I think so. What you're saying is that the reason the others and I acted so natural when we first summoned our Personas, and the reason we could so easily fight with them is because they told us what we had to do?" Takuya asked.

Igor chuckled and nodded. "Precisely. You knew Zenbyou's skills and how to use them effectively because he shared that knowledge with you. Just as you share your plans and battle strategies with him. Quite an easy teammate to cooperate with, wouldn't you say?" Igor replied.

"So that's what was happening. I had no idea. Well that answers a few questions me and the others have had since we started," Takuya replied.

Samantha giggled. "I would've, like, thought that would be pretty easy to figure out. You're like, not that clever, huh?"

Takuya blushed. "Y-You don't have to rub it in. Cut me some slack, this is all new to me."

"Now as for your other questions. Why did your Persona kill you? Why did you accept it so easily? What do we mean when we say that you are special? As I said before, this will take a little more explaining." Igor turned to his right and looked at Alphonse. "Alphonse, if you would be so kind?"

Alphonse bowed and then replied, "Yes, Master." Then he turned to face his trolley again and began rummaging through its bottom shelf. A few moments later, he pulled out a very large and very heavy-looking blue book. Alphonse struggled to lift up the book with his small, lithe frame. "I don't…remember it being this…heavy!" he grunted out.

"Careful, Ally. Don't, like, strain yourself," Samantha said out of worry for her younger brother.

"I'm fine…Sis…ter! Don't…worry!" Alphonse grunted in reply before finally lifting the book onto the table in front of Igor. Then he began huffing and panting as he struggled to catch his breath. And when he was finally back to normal he simply said, "Master, I think we should seriously consider keeping this separated into multiple volumes. After another guest or so, it will probably be so heavy that even you won't be able to lift it."

Igor chuckled. "You do have a point. Even now, it looks like my table is about to give out from the added weight. I shall consider your suggestion. But in the meantime…" Igor trailed off and waved his right hand, and the next moment, the book opened and turned over several hundreds of pages.

"What's the deal with that huge book?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.

"This is a very special book," Alphonse replied. "It's called the Persona Compendium. It's a record book that's been kept here in the Velvet Room since time began. Each page is a record of the detailed history that is the power of Persona. Going all the way back to the very beginning to the story of the last guest who visited the Velvet Room. And soon, it will be time for us to record your story in at as well."

"So this book is a history of everything to do with…well everything?" Takuya replied.

"In, like, layman's terms, yes," Samantha replied. "Like, the Velvet Room, Shadows, Personas; everything having to do with any related subject to our world is, like, methodically written down and recorded in the Persona Compendium."

Igor stopped flipping the pages when he finally found what he was looking for. "Ah, here we are." Then Igor looked back up at Takuya. "Now in order to best answer your questions, I believe we should start at the very beginning. As you know, Persona is not the only power that you access to. You hold another power, a darker power, not that too different from that of the Shadows."

"My Grim Reaper powers," Takuya replied.

Igor nodded. "Correct. Now as you may recall, in our first encounter, I told you about an omnipotent being who like you had power over life and death."

"Yeah I remember, you said that whatever caused the distortion that's affecting my world, probably destroyed it," Takuya replied.

"Yes, I feel like you will be better able to understand if I explain how this being came to be." Igor chuckled. "I apologize for not being able to make things more clear during our first encounter. I have existed as Master of the Velvet Room for eons now, and in that time my memory has become somewhat distorted. For problems like this, I require the record of the Persona Compendium. Unfortunately, Alphonse was not yet with us and he was the one with the book on hand so I could not give you a proper explanation. But now that circumstances have changed, I'd be more than happy to tell you what I know."

"Please, by all means. I want to know everything," Takuya replied.

Igor nodded. "Very well, then please pay close attention as I tell you the story." Igor cleared his throat and then began to read from the book.

 _Hidden deep within each world exists another. A secret world known only to few. A world of dreams and nightmares. A world where the lines of reality begin to blur and fantasy takes over. This world can take on many different forms, but it always holds the same purpose, to house the Collective Unconscious of all inhabitants of each world. The Collective Unconscious is seen as a network that connects each and every living thing, uniting the mind, spirit, and body. And in this realm there existed a mysterious being who was created by the universe with the sole purpose of watching over the Collective Unconscious and making sure nothing would harm or damage it._

 _However, light cannot exist without darkness. The positive cannot be true without the negative. There must be an equal balance within the universe. So another being was created to act as the counter balance. While the Protector was created to watch over and guard the Collective Unconscious, the Destroyer was created to tempt and blacken it. The two beings became immortal enemies, always at conflict with one another over the fate of every living thing. And out of that conflict, many, many tragedies arose for all living things. Though they could not directly interfere with the will of the universe, their conflicts would create ripple effects in each world and disaster would follow._

 _The Destroyer sought to taint the Collective Unconscious in many different ways, and more often than not, would instill within each world a deep darkness that would infect its central roots. Out of this darkness rose the Shadows, beings of pure negative energy, that represented the inner strife contained within each soul. Their only purpose being to consume and corrupt._

 _And in contrast, the Protector sought to defy the Destroyer by instilling their own power within each world. A light that would challenge and keep the Destroyer's darkness in check. Out of this light rose the Personas, beings of pure positive energy, that represented the purity and resolution contained within each soul. Their only purpose being to strengthen and harmonize._

 _And since the beginning of this immortal war, within each world the Destroyer would create chaos and blacken each soul it came into contact with, using the power of Shadow. While the Protector would find the perfect candidates to pass on their power of Persona to. Using Personas, the chosen few in each world would challenge the darkness inflicted by the Shadows and prevent the disaster that would follow. Each war between the two immortals, fought by proxy._

"Are you starting to understand, boy?" Igor asked after reading over a few pages.

"So my Persona comes from the power of this _Protector_ , right?" Takuya replied, to which Igor nodded in affirmation. "Then that must mean that my other power comes from…the _Destroyer_. Is that, right?"

Igor chuckled. "Yes, indeed. Now do you see why your world is so special? Why you are so special? In each of the previous worlds that the Velvet Room has visited, this is the first time that the powers of light and darkness have become one. There is no good or evil, no positive or negative. There is only neutrality. You have become a being who rises above embracing a single ideal and instead embraces both." Igor took another sip from his drink and then continued. "For eons now, the Destroyer has created several beings of pure darkness using the power of Shadow to corrupt and consume each world that it comes into contact with. While the Protector has created beings of pure light using the power of Persona to challenge and keep the Shadow-infected beings in check. But for some unknown reason, the Destroyer instilled you with power as well. The balance has shifted."

"But what does that mean exactly? As far as you know these two immortal beings are still fighting, right? And I mean, my world is in danger now so obviously the Destroyer has done something," Takuya replied.

"Hmm, is that true? I wonder," Igor replied.

"Huh?" Takuya replied.

"Do you not remember? We discussed it only mere minutes ago," Igor replied. "A distortion has taken place in your own world. The balance of life and death has become distorted, and I told you that the cause of this distortion may be because of the absence of an omnipotent being with powers similar to your own."

"…!" Takuya's eyes widened. "Then are you saying that the Destroyer isn't what's causing the distortion? The distortion is happening because something has happened to the Destroyer?"

"The universe is made up of a positive and negative. Good and evil. Life and death. The Protector and the Destroyer," Igor clarified.

"The Destroyer is the being with the power over life and death?" Takuya replied.

"To be more accurate, an extension of the Destroyer is the one with the power similar to yours. All souls taken by the Destroyer go to a place that you may describe as…the afterlife. But in reality, this place is merely an extension of the Collective Unconscious. In the Persona Compendium it is referred to simply as the Sea of Souls," Igor replied.

"Sea of Souls?" Takuya repeated the words in confusion.

"Yes, it is said that all souls come from the sea, and all souls will return to it when the person it belongs to dies. This is the universe's design. Only now, for some reason the souls of those who have departed from the realm of the living, are not making the journey back to the Sea of Souls. They are instead trapped in this realm that you have discovered within your own world, Limbo. And this is only happening because the universe is now without balance," Igor explained.

"So in order to restore balance, darkness is needed. And that's why I have that darkness, and so do the others. Then our job is to do what the Destroyer did to the souls belonging to the dead, return them to the Sea of Souls. But there are still some things I don't understand," Takuya replied.

"Like what?" Samantha replied.

"Well for one. What is Limbo exactly? And what are the rules there? So far me and the others have just been stumbling around in the dark, it would be really helpful if you guys could tell me more about it," Takuya replied.

Alphonse frowned. "Sorry Takuya, but I'm afraid that's a service we cannot provide."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Takuya replied in confusion.

"You are forgetting, boy. This is the first time we have ever encountered your world. We have no previous record of its design. Therefore, we do not know the secrets that exist deep within it," Igor replied.

"What? But you guys are omnipotent too, right? You have to know more than I do," Takuya replied.

"We see things through the eyes of our guests. All the information we are provided with about each world is shared to us by them. We have told you all we know that you do not, I'm afraid from hence forth the answers are for you to find on your own," Igor replied.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Takuya exclaimed in frustration. "So all you know is where I got my powers from?! Not how to use them or for what purpose?! This is ridiculous!"

Samantha rubbed Takuya's hand again. "I know it's, like, really frustrating and all. But like, please don't be mad at the Master," she said in a serious and concerned tone. "We can't tell you, like, what we don't know." Her point got across even while she still used that silly grammar of her's. "Like everything else that exists within, like, the known universe. The Velvet Room was, like, designed in a specific way. We don't, like, know anything our guests' worlds outside from what they, like, know themselves. It's all by, like, design."

"Trust us, Takuya. We would help you more if we could, but we can't. You're destined to find the answers you seek on your own," Alphonse added.

Takuya sighed. "I know you guys are doing everything you can to guide me. I don't blame you. I'm just…I'm just so confused about what to do. How can I trust in myself when I don't even know what I'm doing? What if it's pointless to try and save the people who are going to die unnaturally? Like Shinichi said, the universe might just correct itself and get them to die another way. And for the souls that are trapped in Limbo? How do I go about actually getting them out and sending them to the Sea of Souls? And then there's the other Reaper team. How do they fit…?"

Igor cut Takuya off. "Wait. Stop for a moment. What do you mean by other Reaper team?"

"Huh?" Takuya was even more confused.

"The cards have given me a clear picture of what's to come. Including you, there are ten children of man who shall receive the powers of light and darkness. Two more have already been discovered, Death and the Chariot. But the others aren't meant to awaken to their powers just yet. So the only Reapers in existence should be you, the holder of the Death arcana, and the holder of the Chariot arcana. So I ask you once again, what did you mean when you were talking about another Reaper team?" Igor asked.

"A-Are you serious? There's more than me, Shinichi, and Ryuta. At least seven that I know of. And so far I've met three of them. I don't know their names but they go by the White Rabbit, Revenant, and Death. The first two are apparently allied with four other Reapers who I haven't met yet, but Death…" Takuya grimaced as he thought about the person in question, "…Death is a goddamn psychopath. He tried to kill me and the White Rabbit the day I awakened to my powers. I assumed you knew about them. Didn't you just say you saw the world through my eyes? Then how could you not know?"

Igor seemed troubled. For the first time since Takuya had met him, he wasn't wearing that mischievous smile of his. He looked oddly perplexed. "I…I don't know. That shouldn't be possible. It is as you say, you share a connection to the Velvet Room. Everything you know, we should know. And yet, a blind spot like this alluded me. Alphonse? Samantha? Is it the same for you?"

"Yes, Master. I don't remember anything about this either," Alphonse replied.

"Like, neither do I," Samantha replied. All three residents of the Velvet Room looked completely lost.

"So what does that mean? Did you guys forget or something?" Takuya asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. This has never happened before," Igor replied in a grim tone. He then waved his hand and the pages of the Persona Compendium flew back, until finally they stopped moving when Igor reached the end of the massive book. "It is as I feared, there's nothing in the Compendium either. It's as if these other Reapers you speak of do not exist in the eyes of the Velvet Room. This is truly a strange occurrence. I have no idea what to make of it."

"…" Takuya was at a loss for words.

Alphonse sighed. "Oh dear, it looks like we've just added another mystery to your already stretched thin mind. I deeply apologize for this development, Takuya," he said before doing his little butler bow.

"Like, sorry about that, Takuya," Samantha apologized.

"I wish we could be of further assistance to you, boy. But as you can plainly see, it looks like at this point you know more than we do," Igor added.

"I-It's fine," Takuya replied. You guys managed to answer a few of my questions and I'm really grateful for that." Takuya sighed. "I still don't know what to do next, but I guess that's for me to figure out." He got up from his comfy chair and prepared to leave. "Thank you for getting me this far though, I really appreciate it. But now, I think it's time for me to leave. I need to do some serious thinking about all of this."

Igor nodded. "Very well. You may exit the same way you came in. Hopefully next time you visit, we will have more to discuss with you. But for now, we wish you good luck with your journey."

"Bye, Takuya," Samantha said as she waved good-bye, with a little less enthusiasm than usual.

"Bye," Alphonse added, in the same emotional manner. It appeared that the three residents were upset that they couldn't be of further assistance to Takuya.

"Later," Takuya simply replied, before going through the blue curtain at the front of the Velvet Room's first class section. Then much like before, Takuya shut his eyes as a blinding white light consumed him.

* * *

 **Friday, 4/18 20XX, Morning**

"…kuya?" a voice echoed through Takuya's head.

"Takuya?" Takuya slowly opened his eyes and his surroundings began to come into view.

"Earth to Takuya?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Huh? What?" Takuya replied in shock.

Ryuta looked perplexed. "Dude, what happened to you? You've just been staring off into space for a few minutes now."

"I was just…um, I was just…" Takuya muttered. The concept of the Velvet Room and the purpose of those who dwelled with in it were things Takuya still didn't truly understand. And if he couldn't understand them, there was no way Ryuta would be able to. Takuya sighed. "Sorry, I guess I was just deep in thought."

Ryuta sighed as well. "Yeah, I get you. This is all a lot to take in. I still can't really believe it, even though we just heard and saw it. Endou-senpai is dead. There's nothing more we can do for her. What exactly are we supposed to do now? Just forget about her and focus on the next person who appears in an omen?"

Takuya looked down at the ground. "I wish I knew. I really do."

"…" There was silence between the two boys for a few moments before Ryuta asked another question. "Hey Takuya? Where's Shinichi?"

"Huh?" Takuya replied.

"Where's Shinichi?" Ryuta clarified his question. "Did he ever come back?"

"N-No, he never did," Takuya replied. "I woke up this morning and he was still gone."

Ryuta's eyes widened. "Takuya, Shinichi was supposed to be watching over Endou-senpai. The only time she would've been out of his sights is when he was supposed to come and give us her journal. But if Endou-senpai is dead then where did he go?"

"I…I have no idea." Takuya's eyes widened as well. "You don't think something bad happened to him too, do you?"

"I don't know, but one way or another, we have to find him. He might be able to fill in some of the blanks as to what happened between the time you and I left the girls' dorm yesterday and the time when Endou-senpai's body was found." Ryuta sighed again. "Look I know things might seem bleak, but I don't want to give up on this. We couldn't prevent her death, but we can still catch whoever killed her, right?"

"…!" Takuya was shocked that he hadn't come to that conclusion.

"We can worry about the semantics of not being able to save the victims in omens later, right now I just want to do something to keep my mind active and off of this horrible guilt I feel. And for me that's finding Shinichi and finding out what happened to Endou-senpai. What about you?" Ryuta asked.

Takuya thought about it and then came to the same decision. "Yeah, I agree. This isn't over. We couldn't save Endou-senpai but we'll damn sure get her justice. First we'll find out what happened to Shinichi and then we'll find out what happened to Endou-senpai. Thanks for snapping me out of it, man."

Ryuta nodded. "No problem, you did the same for me before. Now then, where do you think we should look for Shinichi?"

"Well the last place we left him was Endou-senpai's dorm room. Do you think he could still be there?" Takuya asked.

"It's worth checking out. We're just going to have to be real discreet about it, and not get caught. Remember, we're supposed to be heading back to our dorm, right now," Ryuta replied.

Takuya nodded. "Well come on then, let's go." Then the two boys ran off in the direction of the girls' dorm, in the hopes of finding Shinichi.

But unbeknownst to Takuya and Ryuta, someone was watching them from afar. Another stray onlooker who was having trouble processing Michiko's death. Student Council Disciplinarian, Akio Handa. "Where the hell are those two going? The dorm's the other way." He looked back in the direction of the arts and clubs building. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I'm a real sucky friend, aren't I?" Akio said with an added scoff. "I'm not good at expressing my feelings in a healthy manner. You knew that. If I was better at understanding my own, maybe I would've understood what you were going through better. I don't know. All I know is that I screwed up, and I'll never get a chance to apologize for how I treated you the last time we talked. I could say "sorry" as many times as I want to you in my head and it still wouldn't make a damn difference 'cause you're not here to accept it. I have to live with that. But, as little as its worth, I'm sorry. I really am. You were a better friend than a jerk like me deserves, that's for damn sure." A tear began to trickle down Akio's cheek but he wiped it up and dried his eyes before it could do so. Then he turned around and began to walk in the direction of the boys' dorm. But then he stopped and turned back around to face the opposite direction, in which Takuya and Ryuta had ran off to. Akio sighed. "I really don't feel like dealing with any shit today but I'll probably get blamed if I don't drag them back to the dorm." Then he took off in a run to catch up to the other boys.

Akio wasn't the only straggler though. The mysterious Reaper trio of Gabe, Ikumi, and James was staying behind as well. "Well I guess we shouldn't be so surprised," said Gabe. "We all knew this was coming."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just didn't expect this one to happen so fast. It usually takes a couple of weeks before an omen comes true. Doesn't it?" Ikumi asked. "It's like the whole process suddenly accelerated. And it feels really different when it's someone that you know."

"…" James was silent.

Gabe sighed. "Yeah, it is. And it did happen faster than usual. But hopefully we'll get a day of peace and quiet before another one appears." Gabe patted Ikumi on her shoulder. "There was nothing we could have done. You know that."

"It doesn't make me feel any less guilty though," Ikumi replied.

"Good riddance," James simply said before turning to leave.

Ikumi turned around and began to tear the cruel boy a new one. "How can you be so heartless?! She just died! And you knew her better than any of us! How can you not feel anything now that she's gone?!"

"…" Gabe silently watched on.

"…" James was silent for a few moments before responding. "The world is a cruel place. Crueler than I could ever hope to be. The only way you survive it…no, the only way you conquer it is by looking out for no one but yourself. Attachments are meaningless. All they do is hold you back and make you feel miserable when you lose them. I wasn't always like this, but believe you me, anyone who goes through what I went through would come out as a different person. I don't care about anyone or anything, except power. That's all I want. Everything else is meaningless." And then he walked off back in the direction of the boy's dorm.

"…" Ikumi was stunned silent.

"You shouldn't expect compassion from a guy like that. But it's okay, trust me he's going to regret his actions. One day, when he has all that power that he so desperately desires, he'll wake up and realize that it too is meaningless when he's all alone," said Gabe. "You have to believe there's justice in the world."

Ikumi nodded. "You're right. You're always right." Ikumi turned back to face Gabe. "I don't want to be alone right now. Is it okay if I stay with you for a little while?"

Gabe sighed. "Sure, just don't draw too much attention to yourself."

"Thanks," Ikumi replied. Then she and Gabe followed after James and headed to the boys' dorm.

* * *

A/N: Even the most bitter of failures can inspire the greatest of comebacks.


End file.
